MLB Rumors: Yankees Consider Themselves Front-Runners For Manny Machado, Decision In 2019

Manny Machado has made no secret of the teams on his list to join ahead of next season after meeting with the Chicago White Sox, the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees recently. Yet there could be other options, which are not yet known.

The shortstop is one of the most sought-after free agents in baseball at the moment, and the aforementioned trio are his main suitors. Machado is looking to earn himself a record-setting deal with reports suggesting that a deal worth over $300 million over a 10-year period is what the player is seeking.

The Phillies and the White Sox are said to be prepared to make hefty offers and come close to meeting the player’s demands but the Yankees are expected to take a different approach.

The New York franchise are reportedly unwilling to offer the shortstop a 10-year deal worth $300 million, but are looking at a more short-term option with a larger annual value. And according to North Jersey’s Pete Caldera, the Yankees consider themselves favorites to land the free agent.

The report claims the Yankees have two advantages going their way – the first is that they are who they are – a 100-win team with a squad that is able to compete for the championship on a regular basis. The second is that Machado himself is a big fan of the Yankees and according to New York Post’s Joel Sherman, New York is the shortstop’s preferred destination. The only question is if he is willing to accept a much shorter deal that he is expecting which could give the 26-year-old an option to land another lucrative deal later in his career.

“Machado will ultimately have to decide whether to take a lengthier, more lucrative offer rather than sign a shorter pact – say, in the five-to-six-year, $200 million range – to be in pinstripes,” Caldera wrote on North Jersey. “And as his idol Alex Rodriguez did, Machado – now 26 – could score another lengthy deal in free agency down the road.”

The Phillies are said to be in second position in the race for Machado – but they could trump the Yankees by making an offer that is hard to refuse. The Philadelphia franchise’s principal owner John Middleton did admit that they are willing to spend a “stupid” amount of money to land their targets this offseason.

The White Sox are said to be a distant third, while they can offer the deal Machado is after, they will be unable to offer him a team that can immediately compete for championships.

Despite all the meetings and constant speculation MLB Insider John Heyman reported Machado has informed all three franchises that his decision over his next destination will only be made in the New Year.

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