MLB Rumors: Yankees, White Sox Up Stakes In Manny Machado Sweepstakes

Manny Machado remains a hot name in the MLB free agent market with several teams trying to pitch their own pact. While the Chicago White Sox remains the favorite to land the 26-year-old third baseman, the New York Yankees are reportedly willing to offer him something better.

Radio analyst Jim Duquette speculated, based on recent rumors, that the Yankees could end up offering Manny Machado a seven- or eight-year deal worth about $220 million. This is the price range that most teams are offering, with only one team willing to go over that, CBS Sports reported.

So far, the Yankees already added infielders to their mix in Troy Tulowitzki and DJ LeMahieu. And despite these acquisitions, New York is still interested in adding the Dominican-American baseball player.

However, interest in Machado will also depend on whether or not he would be interested in playing for the Yankees. Apparently, it all boils down to what is more important for Machado. While there is a business perspective tied up to it all, there is a chance that New York may be hoping to sign the third baseman for lesser money.

At the moment, the Yankees have a projected payroll of just below $200 million. Netting Machado is a long shot but something they could leverage. Regardless, it seems the Yanks are on course to enter the 2019 MLB season with less than $200 million in the books -- the third consecutive year they have managed to do so.

The latest on the Manny Machado sweepstakes is that the White Sox has offered him an eight-year $250 million deal, Yahoo Sports reported. It is $75 million more than the original pitch given to the 26-year-old baseball player. The White Sox and the camp of Machado have yet to confirm this bit as of this writing.

Other teams in pursuit of Machado include the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres. The $250 million offer is the largest so far, and no team seems to be getting close to a potential 10-year $300 million deal to match what the camp of Machado is reportedly looking for.

As of this writing, that White Sox pitch seems the closest to it. The question now is whether Machado and company will finally sign and end the madness.