The Chicago White Sox’s plan to sign Manny Machado apparently involves plucking every baseball-playing member of his family and his Rolodex to play on the South Side.
Machado reportedly is down to three options in free agency: the White Sox, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies. After signing Machado’s brother-in-law, first baseman Yonder Alonso, the White Sox reportedly signed veteran outfielder Jon Jay, who just so happens to be close friends with Machado.
While that certainly could be dismissed as a coincidence, allow us to present Exhibit A, a 2017 story on The Players’ Tribune titled “The Miami Baseball Brotherhood.” Three names share the byline on the story: Machado, Alonso and Jay.
“The three of us all come from the similar backgrounds,” Jay wrote. “I’ve known Yonder since he was 10. And we’ve both known Manny since he was a young kid coming up. We’re from the same neighborhoods, the same culture, so it’s just natural for us to stick together.”
Hmm …
“We all play on different teams now, but everyone knows we have a special bond,” Alonso wrote. “When one of these guys comes to town, my teammates will be like, ‘Look out … the Miami crew is here.’ We’ll pick each other up at the airport! Everybody just knows how it is. Miami guys stick together.”
Double hmm …
Ultimately, it might mean nothing. It could just be that Jay saw an opportunity to play alongside Alonso and jumped at it, holding out hope Machado eventually would choose the White Sox, too.
Or perhaps it’s a sign the White Sox are about to make the biggest splash of the baseball offseason.
