steveno89

Let’s hypothetically say the Sox offered something along the lines of 7/238 with an AAV of $34 million. That is hardly an offer to sneeze at. The Sox would be paying top dollar for him until he’s 34, at which the chances he declines are very real. Teams are going to get leery of paying a $100 million premium for a player in his mid 30’s. Not saying they wouldn’t go higher, but you are playing with fire the more years and dollars you add.

Nobody would likely know the "real" offer or terms at this stage except those very close to the situation. Tons of this is pure speculation.

Interesting to note that ZERO national reporters have commented on the information that came out today. I would have expected bigger media names to comment, but they are oddly silent right now.

Sox are not "holding out" for one or the other. They seem to be interested in both players quite a bit, and would be thrilled to land either. Internally, I'm sure they have a favorite. From a PR standpoint, either is a win.

If Dan Clark is wrong he will be absolutely TORCHED for tweets like this Shame, because he seems like a pretty solid guy

The article is misleading due to it being speculation from a player known to be close to Machado, not Machado himself. This is all speculation, next week it will be "Machado to the Phillies likely per source close to Machado" this has been going on for weeks.

I would remain calm until national reporters comment That being said the suppossed timeline for a Machado decision is rapidly approaching.

I see what you mean, but Pollock also has compensation attached, dragging his value down. If he thinks that he is going to get 5/80 then I believe he is going to be very disappointed with this market.

Pollock is too injury prone for my taste

Agree with what you're saying here. Sox won't be capped at seven years, but also won't go to ten years if they do not have to. This speculation and back and forth is really just agents/front offices leaking what suits their agenda right now. Believe the hype when the national media guys say that something is brewing, the local guys tend to be pawns that get thrown a bone here or there. When the big guns start to chirp, the stove is indeed hot. You can get the oddball leaks like the wetbutt's of the world, but these negotiations seem to be pretty tightly under wraps.

Absolutely not. 1) No player would leave $100 million on the table 2) $50 AAV is absurd in this market and not going to happen

Adding Keuchel for roughly $80 million on a 4 year deal would push spending totally to the brink for us I feel. We would have at least $90 million committed long term to just three players, which isn't ideal.

The pitching staff is still nowhere close to being playoff ready even if we had that lineup with a better CF option. Bullpen is filled with questions outside of Colome and rotation is not playoff caliber.

I wouldn't read too much into this podcast. I'm not ragging on the source by any means, but it seems far from concrete. Of course Machado is "considering" the White Sox, just like he is considering the Yankees/Phillies/etc.

Boras for sure is not going to be interested in letting his client sign for a "discount" when he has a chance to be the top AAV player in the MLB.

While the terms may end up being 8-10 years overall, I do not think it is crazy for teams to begin the negotiations with 7 year deals across the board. Teams are smarter than they used to be in terms of handing out long term deals and realizing how much a players value declines as he ages (typically). Sox are very much in on both players, meaning they have a chance. Hard to peg how good that chance is still.

The news about Machado preferring the Yankees if the money is similar is no surprise. I do not necessarily think the money will be the same, as both the Phillies and White Sox have incentive to outbid the Yankees in years and dollars. While neither Harper/Machado is a must sign at all costs, the message coming up short on both would send to the fanbase is not exactly a rosy picture. The organization has huge amounts of future payroll flexibility and cannot cry poor right now.

I honestly see the process continuing into January for both Harper/Machado as they each wait to see how much they can squeeze out of suitors

I'll believe the White Sox actual intent when/if they manage to sign a Harper/Machado. Does it make sense? Absolutely. I'm still skeptical short of us offering the biggest pile of money.

Machado isn't signing a four year deal anywhere, even for $150 million. This is his big chance to cash in on a long term deal, and an opt out essentially makes it a shorter deal if he wants to get out. I'd offer something like a 8/256 deal with an opt out after year 4. That is hardly worth scoffing at.

I'd rather look to sign veteran bridge type players and try to spend next offseason when we should be closer to contention. We should take a hard look at the trade market as well. Coming up empty handed would be a significant blow, as these players really only cost money to sign. Which we have plenty of payroll flexibility moving forward for. Fans will not respond well to Hahn saying "We tried our best, but factors out of our control led to certain players signing elsewhere. We remain committed to building a long term winner on the southside..." Sure we have some nice prospects in the system, but they alone are not getting us to the promised land. This rebuild needs an established "Face" badly.

Not sure I agree with you. Regardless of where he signs, he will end up a very rich man. The Yankees are the premier MLB franchise, with a long history of winning. He can slot right into a pretty stacked lineup, all while getting paid handsomely. He is unlikely to be the face of the team, but he may or may not care. I fear the Yankees signing Machado far more than the Phillies.

Missing out on both would be a considerable gut punch for sure. I get that it is not completely in the front office's control though. The organization absolutely cannot cry poor and expect fans to show up to a sh*t show next year of a team. At some point the focus needs to shift towards trying to win games. This is the time, go out and get a Harper/Machado and boost the rebuilding effort.

You certainly are not the only one. My recommendation is to temper expectations of a Harper/Machado signing greatly to help. If you do not expect either to happen it makes things easier and you can remain skeptically optimistic

Assuming the money and years are solid, It's tough for me to see how Machado would not strongly consider signing with the Yankees. Like it or not, they are the premier MLB franchise located in the largest market. I give the front office and ownership credit, as I really think they are trying for Harper/Machado, but at the end of the day I'm just not sure I can see either signing with us short of a significant money difference. We still have a shot, but I think it's far less than we might expect.