Manny Machado is one of the top targets for many teams this season, if not on the same level as Bryce Harper than very, very close to it. In the same way that Harper’s “disappointing” 2018 performance may have sunk his top dollar chances (or certain people would like us to believe that’s the case), Machado’s antics during the postseason may or may not have lessened interest in him around the league. But that’s probably not the case, so we’re buckling in for all the speculation that comes with a star like Manny testing free agency waters for the first time. Unlike with Harper we’ve already seen Machado in a jersey different than the one he’s been wearing for the better part of the last decade thanks to his mid-season trade from the Orioles to the Dodgers. But him signing with a completely new team will still feel a little weird. Who will it be? Follow along as we track the rumors and reports leading up to his final decision.
4 teams that could actually handle Manny Machado’s shenanigans
Photo by Harry How/Getty ImagesManny Machado hasn’t had the same amounts of ink spilled on his free agency as Bryce Harper ... yet. Right now the environment seems to be that Harper’s decision will get all the attention first (since more teams also appear to be in on him) and the Machado decision will fall into place after that with all the rumors that go with it.
But we’ve still got some rumors to look at! The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, citing his colleague Jayson Stark, says teams like the Yankees are taking an extra hard look at Machado after his postseason antics made headlines. This includes asking about his personality and taking some extra time before committing to him as an option. Which other teams might be doing the same thing, and which of them are making the decision to move forward?
Read Article >All the qualifying offer and option decisions of the 2018 MLB offseason
Photo by Harry How/Getty ImagesAs free agency gets going, players will be added to the pool of available free agents depending on whether their options are picked up or declined or whether they accept qualifying offers or not. While there are lots of team or player options out there to be decided on, most of them are probably going to be declined. The qualifying offer amount this year is $17.9 million.
This is a list of all the options (whether player, team, or mutual) that have been decided on thus far, and what their salary for next season is or would have been depending on the outcome. This includes buyout amounts as well, if applicable. The qualifying offers are listed as accepted or declined.
Read Article >Yes, bad teams should sign Bryce Harper and Manny Machado
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty ImagesFor the last two seasons, one of my jobs has been to talk with Giants fans about their team. It’s ... been a rough two years. Once you get past, “Boy, they sure are lousy,” followed by five seconds of uncomfortable silence, the conversation needs fuel. This is why I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the possibility of Bryce Harper signing with the Giants, which understandably provokes strong reactions.
One of the lines that I read or heard, time and time again, was that the Giants needed to avoid Harper and start a full rebuild. It was a constant refrain, and the idea of rebuilding and spending money were presented as directly opposed to each other. Don’t sign Harper. Rebuild! Don’t spend more money. Rebuild!
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