PEORIA, Ariz. — Remember that Manny Machado opt-out clause, the fly in the Padres' ointment — pterodactyl-sized to many — that threatened to loom over the clubhouse and season like a dark, angry wall cloud?
Rewind to the anxiety and handwringing over the third baseman's comments about the sea of money swirling in the free-agent market. Sleuths parsed each word, wondering whether it was savvy negotiating gamesmanship or a shot across the front-office bow.
Go ahead and forget about all that.
