MLB Rumors: White Sox Confident Machado Will Sign, Harper's Mystery Team Revealed

The Manny Machado sweepstakes have gone cold in the last week or so after the initial furor, with a number of franchises racing to beat each other to try and sign the shortstop/third baseman. Teams look to be playing the waiting game to see if they can get him at a bargain rather than meet his demands.

When he signs a deal, Machado is likely to land a lucrative contract, but it remains unlikely at the moment that any team will match his demands for a long-term deal north of $300 million. The 26-year-old continues to be one of the most sought-after free agent in baseball despite the dwindling admirers in recent weeks.

The Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and the New York Yankees are the teams continually linked with a move for Machado. He even met with all teams during his three-city tour in December with the last of the three being touted as his preferred destination.

The Yankees are also keen on him but not willing to meet his demands, and are said to have dropped in the pecking order. Meanwhile, the Phillies are said to have now turned their attention toward Bryce Harper, the other in-demand free agent this offseason. The San Diego Padres entered the race in 2019, but are also said to be slowly tilting toward Harper.

The White Sox are said to be the only team to have made a concrete offer for the shortstop with the deal reported to be closer to the $200 million mark rather than the desired $300 million over seven or eight years. And according to NJ.com, the offer is still on the table with the franchise “growing in belief” that he will accept their offer and move to Chicago for the upcoming campaign.

The Harper sweepstakes, meanwhile, seem to be growing as time passes with more teams emerging in the race for the right-fielder. The Phillies were initially installed as favorites, while the White Sox, Washington Nationals and the Padres were all considered contenders.

All the aforementioned teams have met with the right-fielder in his hometown of Las Vegas, but there has been no confirmation about a contract offer thus far. He is also expecting a record-setting offer upward of $300 million and is eventually expected to fetch it despite the delay.

There was always talk about ‘mystery teams’ lurking around with a view of signing him and one emerged Wednesday, with Randy Miller of NJ.com claiming the San Francisco Giants have emerged as contenders for Harper.

And according to NBC Sports Bay Area, members of the Giants front office met with Harper, his wife Kayla and agent Scott Boras on Tuesday in Las Vegas. The traveling party is said to have included president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, CEO Larry Baer and manager Bruce Bochy.

The report cited a source familiar with the discussions who revealed the Giants’ chase was a long shot at best, but they are likely to have a chance as the right-fielder has not accepted any of the other interested teams’ proposals just yet. Zaidi did hint earlier in the week that the Giants, who have not made any notable acquisitions this offseason in terms of signing free agents, could enter the race for some of the bigger fish in the free agency pool.

Many expect the Harper saga to at least drag on into March, with there being no hurry for him to commit immediately. But it remains to be seen if Machado will accept a deal on the table or wait it out until a team increases their offer closer to his demands.