The free-agent whirlwind surrounding Manny Machado has gone through its dips and dives, but with spring training just weeks away, teams are making their final push to land the superstar before camp begins.
The Chicago White Sox once were pegged as the sleeper team to land the 26-year-old infielder, but the Sox perhaps have been the team most relentless in their pursuit of Machado.
Chicago acquired Machado’s brother-in-law Yonder Alonso and close friend Jon Jay in the offseason, seemingly trying to boost their chances of signing Machado.
And the pair certainly has played their part.
The White Sox hosted “SoxFest” this weekend for fans in Chicago, and Alonso has made sure to keep his brother-in-law in the loop with everything that is going on, video chatting with Machado during the events’ opening ceremonies, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Chuck Garfien.
He also recruited Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada to join the effort.
“(Machado and I have) been texting … I FaceTimed earlier when we got introduced, me and Moncada and Abreu, we talked and said hello,” Alonso said.
Moncada expressed his desire to add an All-Star to the South Siders’ infield.
“We told him, ‘We know that you have a lot of things that are going on, and we’d like you here, and if you can make that happen then we’ll be glad,'” Moncada said through an interpreter.
Rumors picked up this week that the San Diego Padres are a new entry in the Machado sweepstakes, hoping to supplement their youthful roster with a franchise cornerstone. But the White Sox have remained firm in their pursuit, and have gone from dark horse to potential favorite to land the slugger.
It’s hard to think that baseball season is getting closer when some of the sports’ biggest stars remain without teams, so we’d appreciate it if these guys got a move on and put some pen to paper.
