We are now just nine days away form Spring Training, and both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper remain free agents. To say these markets have dragged on would be an understatement. These are two of the top players in baseball today, and they remain unsigned into February.
Yesterday, we broke down the top three teams in the Harper market, today I will be breaking down which teams I feel are the top three teams in the Manny Machado sweepstakes, based on pure speculation.
Top Three Teams in the Manny Machado Sweepstakes
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies set out this offseason with one goal, to spend “stupid money.” They have been in on both Machado and Harper all offseason, even setting meetings with both superstars. Philly is bound to land at least one of them, and some experts have said that they prefer the infielder.
Machado would be a nice capstone to the Phillies offseason. They have already added a pair of solid offensive pieces in Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen this offseason.
Machado would bring in a nice power bat to the middle of their young and talented lineup. Over his big league career, Manny has hit .282 with 175 home runs, 513 RBIs, and an .822 OPS.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox have been a dark horse to sign either star this offseason. However, it became pretty clear that they were all-in on Machado. In December, Chicago traded for Machado’s brother-in-law Yonder Alonso from the Indians. They later went on to sign their good friend and workout partner, outfielder Jon Jay.
The White Sox are an interesting team. On paper they seem like they are not yet ready to contend. They are a young team with a ton of top prospects.
A guy like Machado could help speed up that window for the young players. They clearly have the money, and a star would bring a ton of attention and energy to the South Side of Chicago.
San Diego Padres
The Padres have jumped into the running for both stars over the past couple of weeks. San Diego is clearly looking to add onto their team now. They have also been in talks with the Marline about catcher JT Realmuto. Though they are being considered a long shot, the face-to-face meetings imply they have legit interest.
Aside from Eric Hosmer’s absurd deal, the Padres have a rather low salary cap this season. The Padres are also very close to becoming a very fun, young team. They have young stars on the cusp of the big leagues in Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Urias as well as a ton of young pitching.
Adding Manny Machado to this young core could speed up the process for San Diego. He would give them a premier third baseman, and help the Padres compete in the talented NL West.
Sleepers in the Machado Sweepstakes: New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals
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