Manny Machado Inks 10 Year Deal With The San Diego Padres

It has been a longer off-season than anticipated for the two biggest free agent stars on the market this winter but finally one of them has decided to come to terms with a team.

That guy is Manny Machado and the team? Surprisingly, the San Diego Padres for a reported 10 years and $300 million dollars, the largest contract in baseball history. The news was first reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The deal also includes an opt-out after five years.

Machado is currently 26 which makes a 10-year deal not outrageous because he'll be just 36 when the contract ends.

What a move by the Padres and General Manager A.J. Preller, a guy who you know is not shy about shelling out money or wheeling and dealing to make moves. You might remember that San Diego was the talk of the league during the off-season of 2015 as Preller made many big slashes. He traded Yasmani Grandal to the Dodgers for Matt Kemp and Tim Federowicz. He signed pitcher James Shields to a year-four contract. He partook in a three-team deal to acquire Wil Myers and Ryan Hanigan. Dealt prospects to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Justin Upton and finally, he signed former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel right before the start of that 2015 season.

However, the team underperformed and Preller is still trying to get his team to the playoffs for the first time since taking over in 2014 as GM.

The Padres don't have a ton of star power on their team but Machado will certainly help fill the middle of the order void. The other stars on this team are first baseman Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers, and we'll see what the second baseman Ian Kinsler has left in the tank after being signed this off-season as well.

Where SD may struggle is with their pitching, they've got some young talent that they're hoping will develop and surprise some people. This team does have the number 1 farm system in baseball and with the addition of Machado, it might be time for Preller to put on his trade cap and try to get some established starters in their rotation so this team can win now.

Now, for the other big name star still unsigned, Bryce Harper, it's your move...

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