By: William Burns
The two biggest names in Major League Baseball’s free agency are still on the market. Superstar talents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado have yet to come to an agreement with any team in the MLB even though the pool of contending teams has been significantly depleted.
There were some rumors going around in the beginning of January that Machado’s agent had been heard saying “When the week is over, I’m going to retire.” This sparked fans interests thinking Machado was going to sign a monster deal in the beginning of January but that has yet to happen. Turns out that some of the rumors going around are just that, rumors.
However, there have been some facts going around the sports world. Only two teams remain in strong contention for Machado. Those two teams are the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox with the New York Yankees dropping out of contention after signing a few good infielders recently. So let’s talk about the two teams left. The White Sox seemed to be in strong contention by signing friends of Machado and all signs pointed to an easy contract negotiation. It recently came to light though, that Chicago’s offer to Machado is $175 million for a seven-year contract. Now, this would be an absolutely ridiculous offer for Machado to accept even if he does get to play with his friends. A good team will pay him much more per year to play and on a good team he will have the possibility to play for a title. This opportunity might not be available with the White Sox who finished fourth in the American League Central and had a winning percentage of .383 last season.
Machado’s initial desire was to ink a mega deal like that of Alex Rodriguez’s 10 year, $275 million deal or Giancarlo Stanton’s 13 year, $325 million deal. Unfortunately, with the number of teams interested so small, he might not get the money he wants. This is the same for Bryce Harper as well. It is reported that both stars were looking for contracts that exceeded Stanton’s deal but teams are just not looking to spend that much money, and with such a small market, the price is not driven up by bidding wars.
Bryce Harper has been entertained by a few more teams this offseason including his former team the Nationals, Phillies, White Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers. Harper is rumored to be strictly chasing the money and it is reported that the Nationals have offered him a $300 million contract if he comes back and plays, but that is not confirmed. Both the White Sox and the Phillies have had face-to-face interviews with him as well as Machado since both teams are looking for a franchise player to build their teams around.
The Phillies went to Harper in his home town of Las Vegas and spent five hours talking with him. This group included the owner, general manager, and manager of the team. This went so well that Philly started focusing their efforts and resources on Harper even though they had initially wanted Machado in the beginning of the offseason. It is said that even though the team has the money to sign both superstars, they will only attempt to sign one of them.
The Yankees seem to have dropped out of the market for either of these players and taking with them the deepest pockets in baseball. Despite being Machado’s preferred team, the Yankees have already solidified their infield. This will only drop the price even further for the two stars just because there is no interest in them. Teams have become wary of those monster contract as much of that money can be wasted if players get hurt or stop producing to the level they should be.
Machado’s camp has told some people that there is a mystery team besides the White Sox and the Phillies that is in mix, but they could be saying that just to get team management to start making rash, high priced decisions.
Evening the Playing Field
This is more than just a play on words. The two front runner teams for both of these stars are the Phillies and the White Sox just because of the sheer amount of money they have to offer. But as far as Machado is concerned. each of these teams has been working behind the scenes to tip the scales in their favor. It started with the White Sox trading for Yonder Alonso, who is Machado’s brother-in-law, and signing his close friend Jon Jay. Then the Phillies, not to be outdone hired Machado’s former mentor and third base coach, Bobby Dickerson, to coach the infield. Whether these events will have any significant impact on where these stars sign, who knows? But it does show that both of these teams are very serious about these players.
Things to Keep In Mind
Machado wanted to play for the Yankees. His wife really wanted to live in New York and it is reported that Machado even had good relationships with all the Yankee players. However, the Yankees are currently over the luxury tax threshold by $7 million and adding Machado would set them back even more. Also, it is important to note that the Yankees often go over the cap and have no qualms in doing so. They are also known to let other teams sign these players and then trade for them later on. Examples include Stanton, Mark Teixeira, and Johnny Damon. It could be possible that in a couple years they trade to get him. Or, they could be that mystery team that his camp reported.
If Harper Goes to the Nationals, they will be pushed over the luxury tax threshold like the Yankees and could face a surtax of $20-$40 million. This means that if a bidding war started between the three teams of Philly, Chicago, and Washington, the Nationals would most likely be the first team out.
The Phillies have been reported to be interested in Mike Trout when he becomes available and have been reported to want to have a starting outfield of Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, and Andrew McCutchen in 2021. Harper and Trout are both the best talents of the generation and having both players on the same team would be amazing.
Whereas there are many players still available for trade or to sign, these two players will be making the most news, and attracting the biggest contracts. If the interest for these players stays with just two or three teams, the price could drop and more teams could swoop in hoping to get some of this generational talent.
