Balta1701

TY for owning up to it, I believe you're the only one we've seen do that (although 1 or 2 people who offered up predictions can't do that due to suspensions).

He didn't just get a higher guarantee, he also got a more player-friendly opt out. He got a higher guarantee and a better deal structure.

Just to make this clear: A 5 year opt out is a player option. It's as player friendly as possible. If the player is an all star/MVP candidate on his way to the HOF, he can once again get market rate at age 31, which could be another $250+ million to finish out his career, counting inflation and a new CBA, thus totaling >$400 million. A Swell-opt is a team option first. The team gets to decide whether to bring the contract up to $350 million at some point, and only if the team passes does the player get an opt out. It's a team friendly option first - if the player is an MVP candidate on his way to the HOF, his earnings over that contract and career cannot pass the swell limit until the contract ends. So if he gets hurt or struggles, the higher guarantee is better for the player. If he's an MVP candidate on the way to the HOF, the player option is better for the player. There really is no sense in which a swell-opt up to $350 is a better option than a $300 guarantee with a 5 year straight opt-out. None whatsoever, they're not close. Both the higher guarantee and the straight opt out are better for the player.

Machado has a standard opt-out after 5 years. Yes the White Sox could have swelled the contract, but he has a higher guarantee and he can still opt-out and have his next deal "Swell" the total well beyond $350 million. The Swell is actually a limitation compared to what he could get with a standard opt-out; both the guarantee and the lack of a team "Swell" option are to Machado's benefit.

I'm stuck in sarcastic millennial "yup that's exactly what I thought about them" mode.

With Manny Machado you're right, this is still an 85-90 loss team in 2019. HOWEVER...throw Cease, Kopech, and another year of development into that starting rotation, have some growth out of the bullpen, find a 1b, and have Machado surrounded by Eloy and others at the center of that lineup - you've got a team that's a threat in 2020, and they're set up to be monsters in the following years.

Jesus Christ is that for real?

Except he also has the opt-out in there so if he does make ASGs, win awards, etc., he can hit FA one more time at age 31, so those option years are just reducing his guarantee. If he's on a path to a HOF, that's the same point where Cano signed his $200 million deal, and there will be a new CBA in place by then so money should be flowing back to players even more by that point. So he gets a far higher guarantee, and if he's still one of the top players in the game in 5 years, he can still cash in for way more than those bonuses would be worth.

A $300 million guarantee is definitely not less money than a $250 million guarantee with extra options, and since San Diego threw in the opt-out after 5 years, the option years have a good chance of mattering less. Those deals aren't close, the Padres' deal is far better.

Hell, with the amount of long term money they've cleared out, Machado would have been perfect with a $300 million/5 year opt out deal. They coulda stayed below $130 million if that was their limit and still had a good shot at the playoffs in 2020-2023.

He did not take less money, he took a FAR higher guarantee that the White Sox weren't willing to come close to matching.

Correct. They were so worried about the extra $50 million hamstringing them in 2027-2028 that they were willing to lose out on the player now. They needed their protections in case he got hurt.

Rick Hahn's job is the General Manager. Regardless of everything else, his job is to make decisions that help put together a winning baseball team. If ownership was hesitant to spend $310 million on a player and he's staring at this organization where that player would be a perfect fit and where they've cleared out all their long term payroll commitments...it is his job to convince ownership to support that, and if he has trouble with that - then don't waste the $40 million we wasted this offseason and use that money as the final piece. There are 2 mistakes - Rick Hahn is an awful general manager, ownership's mistake is employing him.

And then they sold a 2nd round pick to the Warriors to "Build equity with ownership".

It's 100% obvious now that Yoan Moncada will be the starting 3b on opening day, Sanchez will be the starting 2b, and they'll consider the route clear for Madrigal. Regardless of what they're saying now about how confident they were that they would get Machado to take their discount offer, their actions told the story of their plan for the season.

"There are elements of this pursuit we should be proud of." He'd be better off not speaking today.

Gosh, I don't know, can we come up with any other examples recently of the White Sox believing they can get a guy at a discount of tens of millions of dollars because they gave a good presentation?

This won't even make them money. There is basically no one left in this fan base who isn't either checked out or furious. They made the Cubs money over the next 10 years today, because they just broke a lot of families of White Sox fandom, and those families won't be coming back.

They already have a 1b and there's no DH in the NL.

Opt out after 5 years is the main detail we know.

Because. They're. Clowns.

I'd rather deal with those minor mistakes that than this crapfest.

Whether or not it's fair to them...you know who else will hear the boo's every time they come up? Rick Hahn, Kenny Williams, and Jerry Reinsdorf. Every one of those boos in spring training, on opening day - let it infect them. Let it haunt them.

Today, Yes.

You gonna pass around whatever it is you're on? Seems selfish today.