Manny Machado shatters records with whopping new payday, sparks viral rant from baseball fan

This tiny American baseball fan captured the attention of the internet in just 30 seconds as he let loose with his true feelings.

Manny Machado has agreed to the richest free agent contract in American sports history, a 10-year Major League Baseball deal worth $AUD420 million with the San Diego Padres — and one small fan was just glad he didn’t sign for his favourite team.

ESPN, USA Today and MLB’s website all announced the agreement, citing unnamed sources, which finally settles the status of the 26-year-old superstar infielder as clubs begin gathering for pre-season training camps in Florida and Arizona.

The Dominican-American star, who handles shortstop and third baseman duties, was the most prized player available along with outfielder Bryce Harper, but both had gone unclaimed through the prime free agency negotiating period.

According to reports, Machado’s deal with the Padres includes an opt-out clause after the fifth season.

The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees were reportedly in the running for Machado’s signature, but one tiny supporter from the Big Apple was thrilled the superstar didn’t land in his hometown.

His reaction is absolutely priceless.

“I don’t want anybody from the AL East. I don’t want (Boston Red Sox star Xander) Bogaerts. I don’t want (Boston’s Mookie) Betts. I don’t want (Atlanta’s Josh) Donaldson,” the young Yankees fan fumed. “I don’t want any of those guys.

“I mean, you could take any other guy in the league. I just don’t want anybody — you’re not gonna take a guy you hate from another team. It’s kinda like taking (New England Patriots NFL legend) Tom Brady from the Patriots and adding him to the (Miami) Dolphins. It doesn’t happen!”

The video of the angry fan was tweeted out by SportsNet New York and soon went viral. Hours after going online it had been viewed more than 1.4 million times and was being shared across America by major networks like ESPN and Bleacher Report.

Manny Machado secured a whopping payday.

Four-time All-Star Machado, twice a Gold Glove Award winner at third base for his fielding skills, made $22 million last season while playing for the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers, whom he joined in July after a five-player trade and helped push into the World Series.

Machado, playing most of the 2018 campaign at shortstop, enjoyed a career-best season last year, batting .297 with 37 home runs, 107 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases. In 66 games with the Dodgers, Machado hit .273 with 13 homers and 42 RBIs.

But Machado batted only .182 in the World Series as the Dodgers lost to the Boston Red Sox in the championship showdown.

In 926 career games over seven seasons, Machado has blasted 175 homers and driven in 513 runs.

The Padres need all the help they can get after a 66-96 campaign in 2018, second-worst in the National League. They have not had a winning season since 2010, haven’t reached the playoffs since 2006 and haven’t appeared in the World Series since losing it to the New York Yankees in 1998.

Manny Machado is one very rich man.

WHITE SOX SHOCKED BY SNUB

The Chicago White Sox prepared the party for Machado, including his family and friends on the guest list.

He didn’t show.

On Wednesday (AEDT), Machado rejected the contract offer from the team that had signed his brother-in-law, Yonder Alonso, and close friend Jon Jay for 10 years and $420 million from the Padres.

“I’m wearing my shades so you can’t see the shock in my eyes,” said Chicago executive vice president Kenny Williams, whose wit didn’t leave him when Machado did.

It is unclear what the White Sox’s final offer entailed, but Williams suggested it had incentives — if not the bottom line — that gave it the potential to beat San Diego’s.

“If the offer that I’m seeing or the acceptance of the offer that I’m seeing is true, then actually our offer had the opportunity for Manny to surpass that,” Williams told reporters.

The White Sox had gone all-in for the perennial All-Star, even reportedly leaving a spring-training locker available between Jay and Alonso, who had seemed confident his family would be joining him.

“I think that’s all going to get taken care of,” Alonso said last week. “We’ll just see when it happens.”

Instead, the White Sox can either pivot to Bryce Harper, who has been most strongly linked to the Phillies, or accept an off-season without a superstar. Chicago has a very strong prospect base but is coming off a 62-100 season.

Mark W Sanchez, NY Post

Originally published as Manny Machado shatters records with whopping new payday, sparks viral rant from baseball fan