caulfield12

If that's actually true, the market has to move...unless the White Sox quickly sign Machado and there are no other suitors for Harper than the ones Boras can conjure out of thin air between now and spring training.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/01/02/rumors-swirl-bryce-harpers-market-remains-far-blurrier-than-manny-machados/?utm_term=.52b317eaecbc Interesting article from a couple of weeks ago about the Nationals' position on Harper, seems there is a LOT more smoke here than previously thought, and the amount of contacts between the two camps is well-beyond anyone else who has met with Boras/Harper from the winter meetings onward. Basically, when you have an owner who has that direct connection with Ted Lerner, anything is possible. https://www.thegoodphight.com/2019/1/15/18184204/report-phillies-will-not-be-signing-both-manny-machado-and-bryce-harper Thought this was a pretty decent reading of the overall situation, other than the "woeful White Sox line." Obviously, Phillies' writers are willing to run with the "only willing to go up to seven years" info and not the Gomez/Passan information. This sounds like a "plant" story, "leaked" to Gelb. He has pretty good credibility, but there is more plausible deniability than if they leaked it to Salisbury. This fits the pattern….they want Machado, but are now publicly "in" on Harper (even if no actual offer has been given) in order to put the pressure on Machado’s camp. Plus, not only are they in on Harper, they now "let slip" that they are only going to sign one of the whales. Given that Machado’s market is shrinking, with the only apparent real offer coming from the woeful Chisox, and that offer only for 7 years, with NYY deliberately signing other players to make Machado feel unwelcome, this report sounds like Middleton/Klentak are putting the squeeze on Machado pretty hard. And honestly, if I am right about this, it’s a pretty neat negotiating strategy, I heartily approve. Of course, that’s why Machado’s camp has to keep inventing "mystery teams" to balance out the negotiations. OTOH, with regard to what Gelb is specifically saying, no way to if this is actually a fact.

10 hours ago GEEEZZZ Man! I don't know. At 50 shootings a week will Chicago last another 8 years? Yet another good reason not to sign with Chicago, lol. Actually, quite a few Phils' fans seem scared to death of another long-term contract after how Ryan Howard's career ended so ignominiously.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/report-one-baseball-exec-believes-011743556.html Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports writing a full column in reaction to Michael Duarte's extremely ambiguous quote from yesterday. A rival MLB executive believes Manny Machado is heavily leaning towards accepting the offer from the Chicago White Sox. Deal could be announced this week or could still fall through. This is just getting comical. https://sports.yahoo.com/will-bryce-harper-manny-machado-gets-10-year-deals-depends-ask-005226939.html But now there’s this: They’re making it clear they won’t sign Machado and Harper. That’s from The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, who dug into the Phillies’ ongoing dance with baseball’s two biggest free agents. He says the Phils prefer Machado and they’re confident they’ll get one of them, but they’re not trying to get both. Gelb writes:

Well, if you're a Cubs' fan, it's pretty hard to get TOO upset about reaching the NLCS three years in a row and one World Series title. Other than the Red Sox, no other team has done better this last decade...unless you're including the Astros as now being set up better for the next 2-3 years. If you want to be upset with Cashman, be upset he blew his wad on Stanton when they had a similar slugger in Judge...same thing with Epstein, on the Heyward/Darvish/Chatwood moves. (Or you could be upset with the Bryant/Morrow injuries OR Addison Russell, I guess, if that actually makes you feel any better. Better yet, blame the manager for doing too many outside events and promotions!) I mean c'mon, even if they aren't exactly dynasties, the Yankees are competing for a playoff spot each and every year. I get it, the Yankees' fans expect them to be BETTER than the Red Sox and Boston has won the World Series 4 times in the same time frame the Yankees have ONLY won it once. One of the MAIN reasons we're seeing compression on the salary front if the whole focus on advanced statistical metrics. What used to look like a useful 32 year old slugger with strong HR and RBI numbers is a completely different animal in today's game. That said, versatile players are being rewarded, relievers are being rewarded...and even some dudes like Jed Lowrie are getting pretty decent money in the twilight of their careers.

That's reassuring. We can fully blame him for 2009~2018.

REALLY? When pitcher, I assume you mean Pomeranz/Gonzalez/Miley and not Dallas Keuchel. If the final deals are for $275 million and $325 million, that still seems crazy for the White Sox, let alone adding a pitcher that will cost well more add the Manny's Muchachos Group that we added to the payrolls. At least you're WAY out there on a ledge. Maybe not Dan Clark over Acapulco, but pretty far outside the realm of probability/likelihood. That's pretty pretty good, though. We might have 1000 pages of threads in a week if that actually transpires. It would be the feint of all feints to pull that off successfully. Heck, books would be written about it for sports administration courses.

It would make some sense if the Machado camp was actually leaning towards the Sox and didn't want the Phillies to have the best offer...which still doesn't quite make sense. The Phillies offer $240~260 million and then the Sox swoop in again and beat that? Or the Sox and Phillies are colluding to lower the market for both, knowing they can only sign one? Dangerous.

This could all change in a heartbeat if they think they can somehow pry Kluber (or Bauer) for Andujar...especially on a deal with a shorter-term opt-out. Lots of rumors the Reds and Padres are trying to get involved with Kluber in order to then auction him off...with Senzel and another huge Padres' prospect going in opposite directions. Maybe the Yankees prefer to deal with SD, no idea.

Maybe we should just give Jimenez that reported Machado contract (buying out Years 8&9) while we're at it.

If this is the case, it would behoove the Cubs, Yankees, Phillies and Braves to just offer something like $90 million, maybe $100 million for two years. That way, the Phillies would be protected with the only gargantuan long-term contract being Bryce Harper. Unless the White Sox aren't willing to give Harper that $325-350 million deal and Harper's market also craters into the high $200 millions, which theoretically brings 3-5 more franchises back into it during February and March.

Machado for the quoted prices with Pollock and even Keuchel make a LOT more sense than Machado AND Harper for the Phillies. Somehow the offer has gone from $240 to 250 to even $265ish down to below $200 million, lol...

Eagles. Can we change the thread title to a new movie connection every day? Because "Feigned Apathy Room" isn't very catchy.

That would be incredibly ballsy, if not suicidal, to negotiate down from $210 million unless Lozano is insisting on a 3 year opt~out to get it done.

Ooops...I meant Eagles/Alshon Jeffrey interception.