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Manny Machado signs with Padres!!!!!
#81 · August 6, 2020, 9:57 am
In my opinion, anyone who comes to the Padres or even the Dodgers from an AL East Coast team is likely to show a little slip in his stats. Might even see Betts slip a little but he has the advantage of a little more speed and a better lineup around him. With a guy like Machado it may be more pronounced since he seems to be keeping that slightly uppercut swing that won't carry balls out of the yard in San Diego, LA or SF. I think if he can adjust his thinking, particularly in this lineup, to be more of a RBI man and improve his OB stats to keep the batters moving, he's going to be more valuable than going for those HRs he probably thinks he is expected to hit to earn his 30 million. You may be right that he will never reach the peaks in offensive output he did in Baltimore, however, he still going into his hitter "growth years", so I'm willing to give him a little more leash before calling this a worse signing than Hosmer or Myers, both of whom are doing surprising well in the early going this year. If it is only money, who else could we have gotten at the time to fill that giant hole at 3b we had among all the other holes we had to fill? I recall the White Sox were devastated to lose him and other teams were in the mix early on, so it was not like no one wanted him. We don't have true superstars like a Trout or Yelich or Bellinger; even Tatis strikes out way too much (over 30% of the time currently) but I think we are better off with Manny than without Manny. We still have no one in the pipeline that projects to be a star at 3b even though we could probably could slide Tatis over. Understand the analysis and the worries but I still like Manny over a Headley or Solarte as a player, irrespective of the money.
#82 · August 6, 2020, 10:25 am
Manny as a player is now ... for the Padres .... OK but not earning $30MM. However, it is about the money and alternatives for the next 8 years. If he just remains OK and they need money to sign Tatis, Paddack, Lamet, Patino, Gore, et al he becomes a problem.
Yeh, better than the bad alternatives the Padres had but there are a lot of potential 3B options Preller could have pursued that would also be just OK on a cheaper / shorter contract while a better option materialized. Padres did lose 92 games with Machado last season ... not all on Machado but shows that big signing may have been premature as the Padres still restructure for the future.
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Agree on the point of PETCO (and the West) requires a different type of hitter .... would think the Padres would seek players who fit that mold to bring in than a player who does not appear to fit that mold (at a premium) hoping to fix his swing. (Of course I have thought that for years and they never seem to take that approach). Maybe they have had a change of heart with the departures of the upper cut fly ball hitters (i.e. Renfroe, Reyes) for on-base types.
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I am still hoping Machado evolves into a player that justifies his contract because I want the Padres to win .... just have not seen it yet.
#83 · September 19, 2020, 10:18 pm
I miss the TOOTBLAN web site ...
https://tootblan.tumblr.com/About
... because then we'd have data about how big of a nincompoop he really is 🙁
#84 · September 19, 2020, 11:11 pm
Manny really took off after those August 6th posts above and now is in line for league MVP honors - it really didn't look like that back then. Glad to see him bringing it every day, particularly when Tatis, Jr. went into his horrible slump. Hopefully, all the guys will bring good AB's and approaches for the remainder of the schedule and into the playoffs.
#85 · September 20, 2020, 4:43 am
Nice pre-game piece by Sweeney on how Machado has changed his stance (holding his hands more in and relaxed which in turn alters his bat’s starting angle eliminating some wrap around in his swing path). Used both stills and video in side by side looks ... well done.
Not sure if it was Easley or someone else that engineered the change ... but it is working. Have to give some credit to Machado for actually making the change ... something well paid veteran all-stars are sometimes reluctant to do.
#86 · February 26, 2021, 5:48 pm
#87 · May 12, 2021, 8:11 am
2 notes from last night's game story ...
https://www.mlb.com/padres/news/manny-machado-homers-triples-vs-rockies
It’s been a bit of a grind for Machado, who hasn’t had much to show for his hard contact this season. He entered play Tuesday night hitting just .228/.322/.362, despite ranking in the 94th percentile in exit velocity and the 97th percentile in hard-hit rate.
In his final trip to the plate, Machado endured a bit of an injury scare. He fouled a pitch squarely off his left shin in the top of the eighth inning. The Padres led by seven runs on a bitter cold night. Machado insisted he stay in the game and worked a walk.
#88 · September 18, 2021, 12:27 pm
#89 · December 15, 2021, 4:37 pm
2020: EV 90.2 HardHit 44% Barrel 11% HR/FB 21% LA 15.6 Pull 45% Cent 31% Oppo 24%
2021: EV 93.1 HardHit 41% Barrel 13% HR/FB 15% LA 14.0 Pull 43% Cent 36% Oppo 22%
#90 · December 21, 2021, 1:49 pm
Just a thought on Machado’s future with the Padres if you start to play with all the “ifs” over the next two years.
Remember Machado has an opt out after 2023 with $150MM/5 years remaining … at age 31. (Also I believe does NOT have a no trade clause).
So, it is in Machado’s hands and he will (should) consider:
1. The market for elite 3B at age 32 could yield him a longer deal than 5 years for more than $150MM rather than waiting until he is 36 to sign another contract (good chance for a lot less for those extra years).
2. The Padres … especially go all in in 2022-23 … could be on the verge of a decline with most of the team gone / going after 2023 … he may not want to part of a rebuild.
3. Apparently not thrilled about the way the Padres have handled is buddy Hosmer … and may not want to have that in his last five years as a Padre ending up in some place he does not want.
4. Then add the Mets (with a lot of money) hire Showalter … Machado and Showalter have an excellent relationship from his time in BALT and returning to the East Coast (and closer to Miami) in a big market has its own appeal.
IF Machado has good seasons in 2022-23 … the odds of him opting out are pretty high in my mind. IF the Padres see it that way and are not in contention during that period … would the Padres consider being proactive and deal him before the opt out?
2024 have “scheduled” to be gone: Musgrove, Clevinger, Darvish, Snell, Martinez, Lamet, Pomeranz, most of the RP, Alfaro, Caratini, Profar, Myers … and (hopefully) Hosmer. That is a lot of turnover to remain (or become) a contender given the prospects in the upper levels.
More of a decision point for Machado and the Padres than we have been discussing.
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