If Manny Machado is looking to become the highest-paid player in the history of baseball, there’s a strong chance he is going to end up very disappointed.
The Chicago White Sox are one of the teams that have shown interest in signing Machado, and ESPN’s Buster Olney reported on Wednesday that the offer they have on the table to the free agent slugger is for $175 million over seven years.
The White Sox offer to Machado is for $175 million, over seven years. In some ways, their approach is like Boston's w/ J.D. Martinez last winter — the Red Sox offered $100 million and waited for two months. If CWS offer emerges as best, a big ? is: Would Machado/NYY re-engage?
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 16, 2019
It has been widely reported that the White Sox are not willing to go past seven years, and they seem to be sticking to that principle. Of course, that offer is roughly half of the $325 million Giancarlo Stanton got from the Miami Marlins, and Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports reports that Machado has been seeking a deal comparable with that one.
If Chisox offer to Machado really is 175M, that’s 150M-plus less than asking price. Multiple sources say his agent at different times has asked teams to “top Stanton.” Giancarlo deal was 325M. Quite a gap.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 16, 2019
Stanton had just turned 25 when he signed his mega-contract with the Marlins in 2014, and it should be noted that it is a 13-year deal. That means the average annual value is $25 million, which is the same as what the White Sox reportedly offered Machado. Stanton obviously got more long-term security, but he was not eligible to become a free agent for another two years at the time he signed his contract, anyway. The two situations are not exactly alike.
The landscape of Major League Baseball also seems to have changed since Stanton signed his deal. Teams have been more hesitant to sign players to contracts that pay them top dollar into their late-30s, and we could be seeing that trend continue with Machado and Bryce Harper.
Machado is said to have a preference of where he signs, but he needs at least one other team to get involved in the bidding if Chicago’s offer is the only one he has. While $25 million per year is nothing to scoff at, he almost certainly wants at least a 10-year contract.
