Perhaps the Brinks truck won’t be visiting Manny Machado after all.
The free-agent shortstop likely will net a contract this offseason worth between $220 million and $270 million over at most seven years, the New York Daily News’ Wallace Matthews reported Monday, citing sources within the New York Yankees’ organization. These figures are well short of the $300 million-plus over 10 years many have reported in recent months, reflecting teams’ reluctance to commit record-setting resources to one player.
The Yankees might decline to meet Machado’s demands if they are close to the upper end of the reported range, according to Matthews. Nevertheless, they firmly remain in the hunt for his services, especially if his wife, Yainee, has as much influence over his looming career move as Matthews suggests.
The Chicago White Sox reportedly made a formal contract offer (of unspecified length and value) to Machado last week, and the Philadelphia Phillies and Yankees soon might follow with overtures of their own.
When Machado sits down to weigh the contract offers, he might feel a sense of disappointment over his unmet free-agency expectations.
