The Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox are among the teams pursuing Manny Machado in free agency, but both teams have a backup plan in mind if they don’t land the former Baltimore Orioles infielder.
According to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, both Philly and the White Sox view Mike Moustakas as a backup option if they can’t sign Machado. Moustakas is represented by agent Scott Boras, who also counts Bryce Harper as a client, making it easy for both teams to keep in touch about Moustakas.
Moustakas was seeking a multi-year deal last year, but one to his liking never materialized, so he signed a two-year deal with the Royals that included an option for 2019. Moustakas was traded to Milwaukee during the season, and he turned down his 2019 option to become a free agent for the second straight year.
After making just $5.5 million last season — a disappointment for him — Moustakas is looking for more. The 30-year-old third baseman batted .251 with 28 homers and 33 doubles last season and had a .774 OPS.
