Padres' Manny Machado Explains Contract Decision: 'Price of Eggs Is How Much?'

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado had a unique way of addressing his decision to opt out of his contract after the 2023 season.

Appearing on the Ben & Woods show on 97.3 The Fan, Machado used real-world inflation to explain why it's in his best interest to test the free-agent market:

"But at the end of the day, sometimes business is business. And I think it wouldn't be in my interest if I—you know, the market has changed in five years. In one year it's changed. You see it in life, you see it in the real world. Let's take away baseball. The price of eggs is how much? It's just life. Things change, a lot of things change. Ultimately, the markets change, right?"

Machado told reporters on Feb. 17 he will use the opt-out clause in his deal to become a free agent next offseason. He will be leaving five years and $150 million on the table if he follows through with the plan.

Anyone who has been a grocery store recently has noticed that eggs—and most food items—have increased in price recently because of inflation.

Per the U.S. Inflation Calculator, the cost of a dozen Grade A large eggs has more than doubled since 2019 ($1.40 to $2.86).

Baseball fans who paid attention to free agency this offseason saw teams were very willing to spend money in ways they haven't done in years.

When Machado signed his 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres in February 2019, he was tied with Miguel Cabrera for the highest average annual salary in Major League Baseball.

Machado and Bryce Harper became the first players in MLB history to sign free-agent contracts worth at least $300 million. There have been four such deals signed by free agents since after the 2019 season (Corey Seager, Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, Trea Turner).

Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, Fernando Tatis Jr., Giancarlo Stanton and Rafael Devers have also signed deals worth at least $300 million, but those were extensions before they became free agents.

Going into the 2023 season, Machado's $300 million total salary ranks 11th and his $30 million average annual salary ranks 17th among all MLB players.

While it would be irrational to expect that Machado will follow the trajectory of eggs and double his average salary to $60 million per season, the market for superstar players in MLB does make it smart for him to go into free agency again.

Machado, who will turn 31 on July 6, has been one of the best players in baseball since making his big-league debut in 2012. He has finished in the top three in NL MVP voting twice in the past three seasons, including a second-place showing in 2022.

Teams will never say exactly how much money they are making, but MLB as a whole set a record with $10.8 billion in revenue last season. There will be clubs ready to spend for a superstar player at a premium position, as we saw this offseason.

Machado's business savvy makes it smart for him to go into free agency and pursue one more lucrative long-term contract that could take him to the end of his career.