Manny Machado Dissatisfied With Offers, Realmuto Talks In Advanced Stages: Report

Manny Machado has been the second most sought after free agent in baseball this season after Bryce Harper. The 26-year-old, generational talent, in his prime, was expected to sign a close to record contract with one of the number of franchises pursuing him this winter.

But all that talk was in December last year when he did his three-city tour of Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia to meet with the White Sox, Yankees and Phillies respectively. The same also extended into January when everyone expected the shortstop to make his decision.

However, come February and there are still no clear indications as to where Machado will sign, while the interested franchises are also holding back in terms of making concrete offers.

Machado and his agent Dan Lozano are said to have wanted a record-setting contract that beat Giancarlo Stanton’s $325 million deal, but is yet to see such numbers despite Phillies owner John Middleton saying they are willing to spend a stupid amount of money this off season.

The best offers, actually the only offer is said to have come from the White Sox, but it was closer to the $200 million mark rather than $300 million. There have been no other indications of any other offer from pursuing teams.

The waiting game continues with both franchise and player seemingly waiting for the other to blink. The Yankees have continued to strengthen rather than putting all their apples in the Machado basket and are now said to be outsiders to land the shortstop.

The San Diego Padres have now entered the race and are said to be looking at the possibility of signing one of Machado or Harper before the new campaign gets underway. They are expected to hold a meeting with the latter in the coming days to put forth their proposal.

According to Fancred’s John Heyman, Machado is said to be dissatisfied with the offers thus far and how the “first bout” of his free agency has transpired. There is no hurry and it is expected that it will drag into February and probably March in Harper’s case before any decision is made.

Meanwhile, JT Realmuto is another player that has been in high demand after the Miami Marlins put him on the trade block and there have been a number of teams vying for his signature.

The only thing holding up the deal is said to be the Marlins’ demands as they want either a top prospect or a promising young big leaguer with controllable years of service time and more for Realmuto.

According to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro, trade talks for the Marlins’ All-Star catcher are now said to be in advanced stages with the four franchises in the mix, namely, the Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves.