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 of an 18-6 victory.
Machado finished 2 for 3 at the plate, adding a single in the third.
The 30-year-old slugger 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.
Back in black (and orange)
Michael Conforto saw his first game action in more than a year and went 1 for 3 as the San Francisco Giants’ designated hitter against the Cincinnati Reds. He singled his final time up.
“Felt good to be back. I definitely had some nerves. After the first at-bat most of them went away,” he said.
Conforto, who turns 30 on Wednesday, hadn’t played since Oct. 3, 2021, when he was with the New York Mets. He missed all of 2022 after having right shoulder surgery but signed a two-year, $36 million contract with the Giants in the offseason.
He said the plan is to DH for a couple of weeks, then play some outfield.
“Really what matters is getting to opening day healthy,” Conforto said. “But today was good.”
Captain Judge
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge received several ovations from the crowd at Steinbrenner Field before his first game in pinstripes as the new team captain.
“I felt it with the intro, I felt it on defense, I felt it stepping up to the plate,” the reigning AL MVP said.
Judge was a free agent after last season but ended up signing a $360 million, nine-year contract with the Yankees. He also was named the team’s first captain since Hall of Famer Derek Jeter in 2014.
“He loves the game, and obviously being back here, to be able to put the uni on and go out, I think it was something he was looking forward to,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
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.”
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.”
San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado follows through on an RBI-double during the third inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oct. 12, 2022, in Los Angeles.
