PEORIA, Ariz. — He knows he is viewed as a “villain.” Manny Machado brings up the word to describe himself. Admits to acts and words that even he terms regrettable.

Yet, Machado insists he does not see winding up where no one could have envisioned when free agency began — the Padres for $300 million — as a do-over or a chance at reputation resuscitation

“This is not about me fixing anything,” Machado said “This is me being me.”

This version of Manny being Manny probably took him off various clubs’ wish lists. In October, in his Dodger fling, Machado offered a terrible end statement to a job interview. In the biggest games of his life, he coasted often, delivered play that ranged between reckless and dirty and then in an infamous postseason interview doubled down by, among other things, saying hustle is “not my cup of tea.”

In the end, it might not have cost him a cent — $300 million was the most ever given a free agent until Bryce Harper signed with the Phillies for $330 million nine days later. But it might have cost him locale.

“They weren’t the first choice, obviously,” Machado admits of the Padres. “They weren’t in the picture at the beginning.”

The perception was that he badly wanted to be a Yankee and, if not, then go to a team that trained in Florida (he lives in Miami) and was a contender.

“That is very incorrect,” Machado said to those perceptions. He emphasized prioritizing what was best for him and his family and “the Padres showed me the love.”

Maybe the Yankees were never going to go financially where Machado wanted anyway, since they like third baseman Miguel Andujar and shortstop Didi Gregorius and were concerned about the implications of adding another lucrative long-term deal. But Machado already was viewed as a polarizing player due to dubious hustle and a few questionable antagonistic on-field acts. October, therefore, made the decision to pursue Machado only on short-term deals more palatable to the Yankees, and probably doused the enthusiasm of other suitors.

The result was, with a 10-year contract, being as far from The Bronx as possible while still being in the majors. The Padres are in the other league, 3,000 miles away, train in Arizona, exist in one of the most laid back sporting environments, have never won a World Series and last had a winning season in 2010.

“I always will be the villain, no matter what,” Machado said. “I don’t know why. That is just stuff I have to deal with and I have been okay dealing with that situation. That doesn’t bother me.”

In a 25-minute conversation, I told Machado it did bother me. That I found it sad that such a great talent in his prime is being at least somewhat overshadowed by issues that have nothing to do with skill. Machado is a great player on both sides of the ball, and that is not the first thing that comes to mind about him.

“I’m going to play my game and I am going to go down as the player I am,” Machado said. “I can’t control what people think of me. I can’t control any of that. I can only control what I do on the field. I can control how good of a teammate I am. How good of a baseball player I am. I am not going to say that I don’t regret some of the things I have done.

“I have done some pretty dumb things. I am not going to lie. I see the things I have done. And I have done some dumb things. At the same time, I have done things that get blown out of the water and suddenly I am that guy. At the end of the day, I play baseball and I don’t let anything else get in my head.”

Of course, this being the honeymoon phase, the team sees Machado in the most favorable hues. So first baseman Eric Hosmer talks about the “extremely chill pace” that Machado operates at and how smooth can be confused for disinterest. Manager Andy Green praised Machado’s “work ethic” and how even his focused batting practice sessions have positively impacted a young core. Both point to Machado’s durability (he leads the majors in games over the last four years) as more reflective of his passion and commitment than any stopwatch time running to first.

The Padres are viewed as having the majors’ best prospect group, one on the verge of sending impact to the majors. Machado sounds like he wants to be a hero, not a villain with them; helping to foster a winning culture, “helping make legacy and dynasty.”

This is not what Machado expected when free agency began. But here he is with a chance to redo that reputation whether it actually matters to him or not. I told him, sincerely, that I hope that is what happens, that his second act allows full recognition of what a terrific player he is.

“It is a little far away from home, but we couldn’t be happier with our decision, we really couldn’t,” Machado said. “Every day that goes by, I go home (to his wife), ‘baby, we definitely made the right decision. This is where we need to be. This is where God put us.’ This is pretty awesome.”