Machado rips RBI double after agreeing to $350M deal

Updated Feb. 26, 2023 4:20 p.m. ET

Associated Press

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Manny Machado continues to be a very rich man. He also is still a very good hitter.

Machado ripped an RBI double on Sunday, the same day he agreed to a new $350 million, 11-year contract that will keep him with the San Diego Padres through 2033, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Machado must pass a physical before the deal is finalized.

Machado got a big cheer from Padres fans on a chilly afternoon in Arizona before a spring training game against the Diamondbacks. The third baseman struck out in his first at-bat before lacing a line-drive double off the base of the left-field wall in San Diego's nine-run second inning.

The 30-year-old Machado had said that after this season, he planned to opt out of the $300 million, 10-year free agent deal he signed in 2019. With the $120 million he already has received, the new deal increases the free-spending Padres’ commitment to Machado to $470 million over 15 years.

Machado finished second in the NL MVP race last year. He’ll anchor a superstar-laden lineup that includes Xander Bogaerts, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr., who can return on April 20 from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

Machado batted .298 with 32 home runs and 102 RBIs last season.

TROPHY DO-OVER

Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara received his NL Cy Young Award trophy on Sunday for the second time – and this time he has no reason to give it back.

“I want to keep it for the rest of my life,” Alcantara said. “I think that is for my mom.”

When the Baseball Writers' Association of America originally presented Alcantara with the trophy at its January awards dinner, the plaque language dubbed both Alcantara and AL winner Justin Verlander the “most valuble” pitchers in their leagues, leaving out the second “a” in “valuable."

Afterward, the group told him it would provide a new one.

The new plaque contains the more up-to-date “most outstanding” phrasing — and it’s spelled correctly.

Marlins owner Bruce Sherman presented the award to Alcantara at home plate before Miami’s spring training home opener against St. Louis.

“I didn’t expect that I was going to get my award today,” Alcantara said. “I thought I’d go outside and have fun with my teammates. But when I saw the surprise, it made my day today.”

Alcantara went 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA in 2022, pitching a league-high 228 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old right-hander expects to contend for the Cy Young again this season.

“Yes, 100%,” Alcantara said. “If I’m healthy I can do it again.”

FOLLOW UP

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Major League Baseball is providing updates — nearly in real time — on the rules changes package that is making this spring training unique.

The two major changes are a pitch clock and a limit on extreme infield shifts.

“They did a really nice job of sending out a memo this morning with all the things that took place yesterday and questions that players and managers that just had to be addressed in order that you can cover it with your staff and club as you feel appropriate," Marmol said. "So we did that with our staff and brought two different points with our players because they’ve done a really good job of communication.”

The new rules already had an effect during the first full day of games: Cal Conley of the Atlanta Braves thought he had just won the game with a two-out, bases-loaded walk-off walk on Saturday. But umpire John Libka ruled that Conley, facing reliever Robert Kwiatkowski of the Boston Red Sox, wasn’t set in the box as the clock wound under eight seconds.

He was ruled out. The game ended in a tie.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said Sunday that Conley's situation was part of learning process.

“It’s baseball. You’re going to see something you’ve never seen before,” Snitker said. "All to the point where I said I’m glad we’re starting these things when we did. I’m glad we didn’t wait until March 15 or something where we can have a whole month of this, and hopefully in a few weeks that this thing is just normal.”

TWINS ADD SANTANA(backslash)

The Twins claimed right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.

The 26-year-old threw in 63 games, including one start, for the Texas Rangers last season, going 3-8 with a 5.22 ERA. To make room for Santana on the 40-man roster, the Twins put infielder Royce Lewis on the 60-day injured list.

Lewis is recovering from right knee surgery

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum, AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson and freelancers Chuck King and Mark Didtler contributed to this report.

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