The San Diego Padres were apparently as serious as any team about Manny Machado, and they have won the sweepstakes for the free agent slugger.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that Machado and the Padres have agreed to a contract.
BREAKING: Free agent star Manny Machado has agreed to a deal with the San Diego Padres, league sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 19, 2019
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic adds that the deal is worth $300 million over 10 years.
Source confirms: Machado to #Padres, 10 years, $300M. First reported: @JeffPassan and @Feinsand.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 19, 2019
The Padres were said to have offered Machado more than $250 million, so it’s no surprise they ended up with him. There was some talk at first about them potentially just kicking the tires on Machado and Bryce Harper with the way the free agent market shook out, but their interest was obviously legitimate.
We know at least one other team was still strongly in on Machado as of Monday night. That may have caused the Padres to up their offer, or it could have simply been a final effort from Machado’s camp to get more money. If that was the case, it clearly worked.
