It’s not yet known where two of the biggest MLB free agents in recent years will land this winter. The process surrounding both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper have been drawn out this offseason.
But we could be seeing an end to one of the sagas. According to this report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Chicago White Sox have already offered Machado an eight-year deal.
“As the sweepstakes for baseball’s best free agents heats up, Manny Machado is sitting on an eight-year offer from the Chicago White Sox and is still engaged with the Philadelphia Phillies while their pursuit of Bryce Harper grew stronger with an in-person meeting in Las Vegas over the weekend,” Passan noted.
When we take into account that Major League Baseball contracts are fully guaranteed, that would be a pretty big investment from Chicago.
The Sox have been linked to both Harper and Machado this winter. But it’s readily apparent that Chicago prefers Machado.
This is the closest any team has come to offering Machado the 10-year contract that both he and Harper are demanding. If so, he could very well end up playing in Chicago this coming season.