Could the Chicago White Sox crash Major League Baseball’s offseason party in the biggest way?
As the general manager meetings begin this week, baseball’s hot stove season is officially upon us, and the White Sox reportedly have grand plans.
MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported Monday, citing sources, that the White Sox have interest in both of the biggest free agents on the market this winter: Manny Machado and Bryce Harper.
Signing both obviously would be a massive coup, but just being able to land one of the two superstars would represent an enormous step forward for a White Sox team in the midst of a rebuild.
“At present, the White Sox have the second-lowest payroll commitment of any MLB team for 2019,” Morosi wrote. “With Jose Abreu entering his final season before free agency, the White Sox need a new face of the franchise.”
As Morosi also notes, the White Sox have already been linked to Machado in previous years. They were reportedly among the front-runners to acquire him from the Baltimore Orioles last winter, but that ultimately fell through, and Baltimore held onto to the infielder before trading him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the MLB trade deadline.
If the White Sox are going to sign either player (signing both seems virtually impossible), they are going to have to fork over a whole bunch of money. MLB Trade Rumors posted its free agent predictions over the weekend, forecasting huge deals for both players. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted a 14-year, $420 million contract from the Dodgers for Harper, and he had Machado signing a thirteen-year, $390 million pact with the Philadelphia Phillies.
