After a long, exhausting free agency, Manny Machado was officially introduced as a member of the San Diego Padres on Friday.
The All-Star infielder was linked to the White Sox, Phillies and Yankees throughout the winter but ultimately settled on the San Diego Padres -- which joined the sweepstakes late -- with a record 10-year, $300 million deal.
Aside from the money, though, Machado also liked the vision that was painted for him by GM A.J. Preller.
"The last couple weeks San Diego came in and wanted me. I liked what A.J. had to say," Machado said. "I liked the gameplan, what they brought to the table from ownership, front office, to the coaching staff to the players. The whole shabam was so perfect. It made it a little easier to make the decision that they're confident bringing me on board, helping me be a part of his team, help the younger guys, one of the best farm system in the game -- the best.
"To come here as 26-year-old veteran to give my knowledge to these guys and hopefully bring the playoffs back to the city of San Diego and win a championship."
Machado was linked heavily to New York, where he could compete for a championship immediately, but the Yankees were always lukewarm on him and negotiatins never really got started, according to SNY's Andy Martino.
The Padres have not reached the postseason since 2006 but Machado is optimistic about the future in San Diego.
"I'm going to continue playing baseball as how I always played, try to help these young guys coming up," Machado said. "Hopefully if we have the right pieces and the right things moving forward and we get connected as a team, we could do some pretty good things here."
