PEORIA, Ariz. — There is no telling what the future holds.
Money usually ends up speaking loudest, drowning out any other noise.
The Padres have pulled off a few longshot victories when it comes to locking up key players. Manny Machado becoming a member of the team in 2019 was one of those.
But to keep Machado beyond this season, it will take another substantial effort by the team. And recent conversations between the sides have been fruitless.
Machado reported to spring training Thursday without a reworked deal. When he spoke to the media Friday morning, his comments were both purposefully vague and more expansive than he previously had been on the topic of his status with the team.
"Who knows after next year?" he said when asked if he will be a Padre in 2024. "The team knows where I stand in my situation with the opt-out coming. I think I've expressed I will be opting out after this year. But my focus is not about 2024. My focus is about 2023, what I can do (for) this ballclub, what I've done for this organization and what we're going to continue to do here. I think we've got something special here growing, and I don't think anything's gonna change."
Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract in February 2019. The pact, which was at the time the largest free-agent deal in North American sports history, gave him the ability to opt out after the fifth season.
It had been assumed for several months that Machado would opt out if no new deal was reached. He confirmed that a couple weeks ago.
Friday, he looked forward. And he looked around the league, noting the amount of money being spent on top players.
"That's a lot of money out there," he said, chuckling as he did. "A lot of money out there. These owners are making a lot of money, and we're bringing a lot of money too. … We're having a good time and filling up the seats. It's about business. These are things that happen.
"The market has changed from when I signed five years ago. It's changed tremendously. Things change and evolve. And as a player that's about to opt out, it's pretty good to see."
He confirmed Friday he will seek to play at least 10 seasons beyond this one.
"Hopefully," Machado said. "I mean, that's why I pay my agent."
He will likely get the opportunity from someone. Machado turns 31 in July, and recent contracts given to top players have locked them up through their late 30s and into their 40s.
Even with a subpar finish to 2019, his first season with the Padres, Machado ranks 12th in the major leagues in bWAR (17.6), ninth in home runs (108) and ninth in total bases (984) over the past four seasons.
He finished third in National League MVP voting in 2020 and second in '22, the only two seasons in the past 16 years the Padres have made the playoffs.
The Padres could end up rueing that they did not address Machado's contract earlier — perhaps even attempting to lock up their de facto captain before making huge offers to Aaron Judge and Trea Turner during the winter meetings in December. Those offers and the Padres' subsequent signing of Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract helped establish a new market for superstar players. And they signaled to Machado what his employer was willing to spend big for players they valued.
"Just seeing those offers out there, it just kind of tells you where a team stands," he said. "Obviously, (Padres chairman Peter Seidler) wants to win, and he has money to pay. So, he's gonna do everything possible to put a good team out there."
Padres President of Baseball Operations A. J. Preller declined to comment on negotiations this week. Preller has maintained the Padres want to keep Machado and has issued repeated reminders that the Padres have a history of taking care of their players.
At the press conference announcing Yu Darvish's new contract last week, Preller said the deal demonstrated "commitment to our team, to the fans, to the community, that when we get elite players and elite talents and guys that on and off the field exemplify what we're looking for, from a work standpoint, a leadership standpoint, we're gonna do everything that we can to keep them here in San Diego."
He also addressed the Machado situation that day.
"He's a huge part of our team," Preller said. "And we're gonna be open to seeing what the possibilities are over the course of the next six months or so to see where it takes us."
