Phillies rumor: Team one of two aggressive Manny Machado pursuers
By John Town
The Yankees are hesitant to go all-in on Manny Machado, leaving the Phillies and White Sox as the most aggressive suitors for the star infielder.
The Manny Machado rumor mill has largely hit a standstill at this point. He conducted his free agency visits with the Phillies, Yankees, and White Sox before Christmas. Each team was to submit an offer before the new year; all that is left now is to consider the offers from each team.
As potential contract numbers get tossed around, it is slowly emerging which teams are truly all-in on the star shortstop, one of them being Philadelphia.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Philadelphia and Chicago “remain the most aggressive teams” in the pursuit of Machado. Meanwhile, Nightengale said the Yankees may not be willing to offer a $200 million contract, although there were other possibilities he listed as well.
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It has long been speculated that Machado would like to play for the Yankees. They clearly view him as more of a luxury than need with Miguel Andujar at third base and recent signee Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop, at least until Didi Gregorious returns from injury.
The offers from each team are believed to be in the $200-250 million range. If that’s the case, Machado will reportedly go to the Yankees. However, the offers from the White Sox and Phils are reportedly higher than the Yankees, where Machado would like to go. He may be waiting for them to bring their offer up to justify signing with them.
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If Nightengale’s notion is correct and the Phillies and White Sox remain the most aggressive teams, the former holds the edge in terms of raw spending power. They can make the gap between offers large enough that Machado may have no choice but to take it.