Chicago White Sox make official offer to Manny Machado
By Ryan Heckman
The Chicago White Sox are one step closer to landing free agent shortstop Manny Machado.
Do you have what we call “Bryce Harper fatigue” yet? Are you tired of the Harper rumors and rumblings? You are not alone. But today, the tone changes for the Chicago White Sox, as a different star free agent took the headlines.
USA TODAY Sports columnist and MLB Network Insider Bob Nightengale has come out via Twitter to deliver some pretty big-time news regarding the White Sox and another prized free agent, Manny Machado.
The Chicago #WhiteSox are more engaged with Manny Machado than Bryce Harper at the moment, and have officially made an offer to Machado. They have yet to make a formal offer to Harper, but have been in constant contact.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 3, 2019
The 26-year-old infielder is coming off a year in which he was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Los Angeles Dodgers, in hopes that the latter could make a World Series run. Despite the fact that Machado’s deal expired at the end of the season, Los Angeles still took the gamble.
Machado finished 2018 with a total of 37 home runs and his first 100 RBI season, batting in 107 runs between his time with Baltimore and Los Angeles. Machado currently has a streak of four straight seasons with at least 33 home runs.
A few teams such as the Dodgers, White Sox and New York Yankees have been rumored to be the front-runners for his services for the past month or two.
It appears as though Machado may make a decision in the near future. I am sure offers from other teams aren’t far off, considering the White Sox put theirs out there already. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Sox land him, knowing that they have also been “all-in” on Harper as well.
One other team to look out for, due to their financial freedom at the moment, is the Philadelphia Phillies. Along with those other three teams, the Phillies are known to be in on Machado and Harper. Nightengale tweeted just a few minutes later that Philadelphia will likely make the highest offer to both Machado and Harper, making it even more intriguing to see which player ends up where.
Next. White Sox: 10-year deal for Bryce Harper makes sense. dark
While all of the reports and rumors are fun, I am sure you’re all with me when I say I just can’t wait until this is over. Every day there seems to be a new wrinkle, whisper or claim made regarding one of these guys. Let’s just hope the next one we see includes the Sox landing one of the top two guys.