Manny Machado had to love seeing the Rafael Devers extension today

Manny Machado has an opt-out after the 2023 season for a reason: so he could re-enter the market and get another $300 million contract after free agents have gotten higher and higher salaries since his 2019 agreement.

Machado using his opt-out seems more and more likely after the Boston Red Sox locked up Rafael Devers on a 11-year, $331 million contract.

Why would he settle for $150 million over the last five years of this current contract when he could get more than double that if he opts out?

Machado knows he’s better than Devers, who just got $31 million more than Machado got in total money in his Padres deal. Sure, Devers is 26 and Machado is already 30 but we all saw the NL MVP caliber season he just had this past season. Additionally, Xander Bogaerts just got paid through age 40 so Machado will as well.

Next year’s free agent class also isn’t strong—Devers was supposed to be a free agent—so there’s no doubt a team would be willing to pay him more than $300 million in his next contract.

At the end of the day, I think Machado stays a Padre for the remainder of his career because Peter Seidler doesn’t let him get to free agency—just as he didn’t let Joe Musgrove get there this past season—but there’s no doubt Machado will get a big pay day regardless of if he gets to free agency again or not.