Padres' Manny Machado Floated as Trade Candidate as New Owners Aim to Shed Payroll

San Diego Padres All-Star third baseman Manny Machado has been floated as a potential trade candidate this winter

Pat Ragazzo of FanSided made a list of players who could be on the chopping block, and Machado headlined the list.

Ragazzo named Machado as one of three players the Padres could move on from.

"The San Diego Padres have new owners that will probably have to dump one of their top three contracts in: Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts," he wrote. "Tatis is the Padres' best player and is in year-six of a 14-year, $340 million extension. Bogaerts hasn't been the same hitter since signing with the Padres, which leaves Machado.

"And although Machado is having a down year, there are still plenty of teams that think the future Hall of Famer can help them. The Padres will of course have to pay down a portion of his salary in order to trade him. Machado signed an 11-year, $350 million extension in February of 2023. He would also have to waive his full no-trade clause."

Machado is currently in his eighth season with the Friars. He signed an 11-year, $350 million extension through 2033 in February 2023.

Machado's contract will only be tougher to move on from going forward. Starting next season, his base salary jumps to nearly $39.1 million for the next seven years.

On top of that, Machado has a no-trade clause, so he'd have to agree to a trade if San Diego decides they want to move on from him.

Throughout his tenure with the Padres, there's never been any denying his talent.

Machado has a .268 batting average and an .812 OPS. He also has 222 home runs, 715 RBIs and 1,141 hits in 4,258 at-bats.

The 33-year-old has been named an All-Star three times in San Diego and finished as high as second in MVP voting in 2022.

Machado has been stellar in most of his Padres tenure; however, 2026 has been a down year in production.

The right-handed slugger has had an uncharacteristic statistical dip with a career-low .720 OPS, and with new ownership here, it's possible they look to move on from one of their big contracts.

Tatis is the face of the franchise and almost certainly needs to stay. Bogaerts will be just about impossible to move. Machado, who has 28 home runs this season, would at least generate interest around the league.

Why the Padres Can't Trade Manny Machado

At the same time, the optics of trading Machado, who sparked San Diego's return to relevancy by signing with them in 2019, wouldn't exactly look great. Machado is the heart and soul of this team, and chose San Diego nearly a decade ago.

San Diego choosing to dump his salary wouldn't exactly be a great first move from the ownership.

Thus, it's likely Machado and Tatis stay, and the team looks to see if they can dump Bogaerts contract to clear some payroll moving forward.

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