Dominican third baseman Manny Machado confirmed this Friday that he would opt out of free agency after the 2023 Major League Baseball season ends.

“I have expressed that I will retire after this year,” Machado revealed this Friday when speaking to the press at the San Diego Padres training camp in Peoria, Arizona, United States.

Machado, who signed a 10-year, $300 million deal with the Padres before the start of the 2019 season, will take the option in his contract that allows him to get out of his contract and test the major league market after completing five seasons.

The 30-year-old slugger specified that “the team knows where I stand,” noting that he has let Padres management know about his decision.

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Machado specified that “there is a lot of money in the Major League Baseball market,” which is why he chose to participate in it.

Despite this decision, the stellar third baseman has indicated that he is focused on achieving success with the Padres in the MLB season that begins on March 31.

“My focus is on 2023. I think we have something special here, and I don’t think anything will change,” said “The Minister of Defense,” as the stellar third baseman is popularly known.

Machado comes from being the leading offensive man last season for the Padres, whom he led to the postseason with a .298 average offensive line, 32 home runs, 100 runs scored, and 102 RBIs.

This performance led him to finish in second place in voting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award.

If he upholds his decision, Machado will join Japanese Shohei Ohtani as the two most valuable free agents on the MLB market in 2024.