January 07, 2019
The entirety of Philadelphia is likely still high following Sunday's big Eagles win over the Bears. But Philly fans may not be done with Chicago just yet, because it turns out their baseball team, the Phillies, could find themselves in a bidding war with the White Sox over prized free agent infielder Manny Machado.
Machado, who is expected to sign before fellow free agent Bryce Harper, has reportedly narrowed his list of teams down to three — the Phils, the Sox and the Yankees, the team he apparently prefers — but according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, Philly and Chicago are the most aggressive, while the Yankees seem to be playing it cool.
The #Yankees are either playing it coy, trying to gauge the Andujar trade market, or simply have no intention of offering Manny Machado a $200 million-plus contract. The Chicago #WhiteSox and Philadelphia #Phillies remain the most aggressive teams for the prized infielder.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 7, 2019
On Sunday, we looked at a report that said all the offers for Machado were in the $200-250 million range, with the Phillies possibly being a little higher. Of course, the Yankees offer could be on the low side because they feel confident Machado likes them that much better than the Phillies or White Sox.
And perhaps he does, but that doesn't mean the 26-year-old infielder is a lock to sign in New York. For a change, it could be the Phillies out-bidding the Yankees and stealing a star player from landing in the Bronx, instead of the other way around.
When will Machado make his decision? That remains to be seen — and could come any day now — but in the meantime, we'll have you covered with all the free agency news and trade rumors right here in our live updates post.
Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
