Rob Manfred Happy Manny Machado Landed in Small Market, Signed With Padres

Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million deal with San Diego on Tuesday.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was pleased with Manny Machado's decision to sign with the Padres on Tuesday, and cited his happiness regarding one of baseball's biggest stars landing outside a premier market.

"The Padres were active last year," Manfred told reporters. "It's good for baseball to have big stars present in smaller markets."

Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million deal with San Diego on Tuesday. The Padres signed Eric Hosmer to an eight-year, $144 million contract in Feb. 2018, but ranked No. 24 in payroll last season. They were one of 11 teams to spend under $125 million in 2018, while the Red Sox led all teams with $227 million worth of contracts, per Spotrac.

San Diego finished last in the NL West at 66–96 in 2018. The Padres haven't reached the playoffs since 2006 and have ended the year with a losing record for eight-straight seasons. 

Manfred also commented on the controversy of service time manipulation and how players are feeling about the current state of free agency.

Manfred salutes young stars, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is likely to start season in minors. Manfred said he believes he can have "a meaningful conversation" with MLBPA about how to resolve service-time manipulation before labor agreement expires in 2021.

— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) February 19, 2019

Manfred said he is “going to stay positive” about reaching a deal to avoid a work stoppage. But he said he “would advise Tony (Clark) and the players to save what they have to say for the bargaining table.”

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) February 19, 2019