There have been rumblings this offseason that an MLB team could decide to make an unprecedented splash in free agency by signing two players to record-setting contracts, but that does not seem all that likely to happen.
Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports noted on Tuesday that the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox appear to be the two teams most interested in Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Recent reports indicated that either team could be open to signing both, but Heyman doesn’t see that happening.
Phillies met with agent scott boras regarding bryce harper at gm and winter meetings, and manny machado will travel to meet with Phillies Thursday. they and chisox are the 2 teams known to be interested in both mega stars. though the chances of 1 team signing both seems remote.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 18, 2018
Both Harper and Machado are expected to land contracts worth more than $30 million annually for somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 years. While the two All-Stars are still young, the back end of those contracts will probably be a nightmare. It could potentially cripple a franchise 10 years down the road to have both on the books.
The biggest obstacle for the White Sox may be that they have not contended in recent years, and perhaps they aren’t looking to blow Harper or Machado away anyhow. Both players are going to get paid, but there may not be as many suitors for them as initially believed.
