steveno89

Not to remind everyone, but if we cannot land a big fish with tons of payroll flexibility and a limited pool of suitors it does not bode well for us down the line. We can downplay the necessity all we want, but the rebuild largely hinges on landing one of Machado/Harper.

Sox were reportedly "among the finalists" for Joe Kelly earlier in the offseason. Kelly signed with the Dodgers for 3/25 million. Herrera must have been plan B?

I would not go past 8 years for either player. You want to pay for a players prime, not the declining years if possible. Seven would be ideal

Sox would still be in on Harper, although I feel we are much more of a longshot to sign him than Machado. My gut says Harper ends up back with the Nationals

WSD is a pretty reliable source When he tweets the eyeballs something is up

This free agent circus needs to end soon. The speculation and back and forth is getting tedious.

It would be very awkward if the Sox do not sign Machado after the whole "Banana Boat Diplomacy" strategy by adding Alonso and Jay

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/white-sox-sign-kelvin-herrera-as-relief-market-shrinks/ Article on Herrera

Sox absolutely will not be competitive this season unless they made significant rotation changes/dramatic improvement Rodon, Giolito, Nova, Lopez, Covey? is not a playoff caliber rotation, and might be one of the worst in the MLB

Those are far more minor moves in the grand scheme of things though. Machado/Harper have the National beat guys all over their rumor mill

Generally speaking? Yes. But with a guy like Machado/Harper I feel the National media guys would be all over a scoop like that signing

One would think that if Machado and the Sox were hypothetically moving towards finalizing a deal that there would be far more smoke?

If he's good and stays healthy, it's a three year deal. If he gets hurt and/or doesn't perform it's a two year deal basically.

The Herrera signing I do not mind because it does not tie up money long term. Depending on if the 3rd year option is a club/vesting/player, we are not committed beyond next season to him. Could be a flip candidate, but also could be a guy we hang onto if he performs well.

Not necessarily. A $200+ million contract at $30+ million per season is something that usually needs to be planned for by an organization. Teams that are just entering rebuilds aren't ready to make that kind of splash, and many contenders do not have the payroll room to make it happen without sacrificing almost all of their financial flexibility. The time is right for the Sox to reel in a big fish, most likely Machado.

Machado is not taking a 4 year deal, period. Interesting how little Harper or Machado information has come out lately though. Feels like teams have made their offers and its in the consideration stage?

I think Harper ends up going back to the Nationals when this is all said and done. A star like Harper really has no intention of playing on the South Side or in Philly (just my opinion, and would rather go to LA or NYY if the money was right. Machado is a possibility, but I don't get a great sense the Sox will land either player

I feel like the Nationals are a likely landing spot for Harper at the end of the day. The longer this drags on, the more likely he resigns I feel. Harper would sign with the Dodgers or Yankees, but I don't feel the offers will be lucrative in the end for him. Honestly, I do not feel the Sox or Phillies are desired locations for a star like Harper at the end of the day.

Not sure you can consider the Sox favorites for either player. New York and LA are flat out more appealing free agent destinations short of us offering a big pile of money (Big pile of money strategy usually wins). I wouldn't

If a player is flying in to sign a $200+ million contract you charter the damn plane for $30,000.00 roundtrip

It could be. At this point the clear suitors have emerged and both sides should have a good idea of both the contract demands and what teams are willing to do in terms of years and dollars. I still would not consider the Sox to be a favorite for either big fish.

Perhaps, but I mean the timing of this formal offer is what is most interesting to me. I feel the Sox are very serious at trying to get a deal done. No other formal offer has been reported as of yet.

What is interesting to note is the timing of this “formal” offer. Sox generally operate by keeping things close to the vest. This leaking is not typical of them as of late.

Agreed. Red Sox absolutely want Kimberly back, but not at his current asking price. I could see them compromising on a nice 4 year deal?

I was referring to Machado, not Harper. The Harper offer was reportedly 10/284 in total value from the Nationals.