As the MLB training camps prepare for pitchers and catchers to report, the rumors surrounding the landing spot for Manny Machado continue to heat up and new reports suggest that the New York Yankees are still in the hunt.
Machado has been enduring an agonizing wait for a new deal as both he and Bryce Harper reportedly consider offers and both aim for somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 million. The Chicago White Sox had been seen as the team in the driver’s seat in the race for Machado, but CBS Sports reported that he already turned down a seven-year, $175 million deal from the Sox and that a new offer still falls short of what he had been seeking.
The MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported on Tuesday that rumors of a $250 million offer from the White Sox wasn’t quite true, and that it was likely a little lower — somewhere between the $175 million he already turned down and the $250 million it’s believed he would take. The negotiations between the White Sox and Machado’s camp is ongoing, but it appears the two sides are still a ways apart on a final number for his contract.
That may leave an opening for the New York Yankees, as SNY’s Andy Martino reported that the Bronx Bombers are still in the hunt despite the White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies being seen as the frontrunners. Martino wrote that the Yankees are “not out” yet, though it was not clear if they have made a new offer to him.
“As Yankees players trickle into spring training, the front office continues to check in with Machado’s camp, according to major league sources,” Martino reported. “The Yankees are not the frontrunners for Machado — both the White Sox and Phillies have been more aggressive — but they are not out on him, either.”
But Manny Machado is rumored to be looking to take the highest offer, so a lesser deal with a potentially more loaded team like the Yankees isn’t likely to entice him. And as NJ.com reported, the Yankees with their $220 million offer (for an unspecified number of years) aren’t likely to lead the pack.
. @martinonyc reports that the Yankees are “still in play” for Manny Machado while they are also keeping an eye on extension talks between the Rockies and Nolan Arenado https://t.co/7b3SqrWqQ4 pic.twitter.com/toYJlh3zcg
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 12, 2019
Whatever happens with Manny Machado — and Bryce Harper — is likely to happen sometime in the coming days. Many MLB teams open training camps this week with pitchers and catchers reporting, and the long hunt for the biggest offseason prizes is expected to wrap up before full teams report later in the month.
