IT’S A MADD MADD WORLD...

On his very first day in camp, Manny Machado dropped an atom bomb over the previously upbeat Padres spring training by announcing his plans to opt out of his 10-year/$300 million contract at the end of the season and pursue a new deal for $400 million. Unfortunately, this is the way of baseball now where money rules over everything. “The market has changed from when I signed five years ago,” Machado explained. “It’s changed tremendously.” The Padres countered Machado’s ultimatum by offering five more years at $24.2M per from age 36-40 when he presumably would be a DH, to his existing contract, but that was flatly rejected. For now, he’s prepared to walk away from $150 million in hopes of getting $400M. As this issue lingers, there will be the usual media speculation of Steve Cohen stepping up to the plate next winter and lavishing a then-31-year-old Machado with a 10-year/$400M deal, but I suspect even the Mets owner would see the folly of that and that Padres owner Peter Seidler will find a way to satisfy his best player without being too dumb. In the meantime, it would behoove Machado to have an MVP-caliber season and get the

Padres to the World Series this year. …

Last Monday, former Mets pitching coach — and one of baseball’s all-time class acts — Phil Regan filed suit in New York Supreme Court in Queens, alleging age discrimination and wrongful termination against the Mets and former GM Brodie Van Wagenen for his demotion at the end of 2019 season. Regan, 83 at the time, was the Mets’ minor league pitching coordinator when he was brought in to replace Dave Eiland as pitching coach. At the time, the Mets’ pitchers had a 4.67 ERA (20th in the majors) and an MLB-high 16 blown saves. Under Regan’s direction, the team ERA improved to 4.24 by season’s end. Nevertheless, Van Wagenen replaced Regan with Jeremy Heffner — who is still there — and offered him a minor-league pitching position at substantially reduced terms. Regan further contends in the suit that he was subjected to further harassment and discrimination by the Mets. All I know is the Mets pitchers, all through their system, loved Regan, and they should’ve found a way to keep him in the organization and reward him properly for his expertise and his loyalty.