MLB free agency: Ranking Manny Machado’s potential suitors
By Dylan Broady
We will rank and discuss each team Manny Machado has been rumored with. Which team will prevail?
The bidding appears to be down to three teams for the services of premier free agent infielder Manny Machado. We’ll look at the three apparent finalists to look at which organization is the best fit for the slugger, who can play either third base or shortstop.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies won 80 games last season and are going after Machado and Bryce Harper as they look to get back to the top of the NL East and back in the playoffs. They signed Andrew McCutchen already this offseason and could be Wild Card contenders as-is.
Philadelphia acquired shortstop Jean Segura via trade and third base is held down by Maikel Franco who had a bit of a breakout 2018. The Phillies might be the best fit for Harper, but it doesn’t mean the presence of Machado couldn’t push Franco to the outfield. Player and roster flexibility are huge, but it feels like the Phillies are in third place when it comes to locking up Machado for now.
2. Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are the polar opposites of the New York Yankees and they need all the help they can get. Coming off a season where they lost 100 games, the Sox are ready to make a big leap in their rebuilding efforts by signing a generational talent at 26.
Unfortunately for Chicago, it’s very hard to compete with the Yankees when it comes to baseball lore and tradition. The White Sox typically don’t throw big money at free agents, but owner Jerry Reinsdorf may loosen the purse strings to make a run at Harper who could command $300-plus million.
If Machado is chasing every last dollar, the White Sox would make for a great fit, and they can offer him the chance to be the face of a franchise and embody the rebuilding efforts. Machado could kick Yolmer Sanchez off third base, and potentially, get a few starts at shortstop for Tim Anderson. This would be a similar situation to the one Machado had in Baltimore. He’ll be in the spotlight and have a big check, but the losses could mount.
1. New York Yankees
The most well-known rumor out there currently is that Machado prefers the New York Yankees over the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox. Looking at these three teams on paper, the Yankees boast the better lineup, so it makes sense that Machado would want to be a part of that famous Yankee lore.
The question is, where does he fit? Is New York the best place for Machado? There are many big-time sluggers already in the lineup so they may have to trade third baseman, Miguel Andujar, to open a spot for him.
With Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez already being well-known for their hitting prowess, you can only imagine how adding Machado would lift this hitting rotation. It’s pretty obvious adding Machado would be a huge plus. The negatives of essentially putting together an All-Atar team are the bravado and egos that can get in the way.
We have seen the Yankees do this before and be successful, also they have failed when they put together super teams. Nonetheless, this is the best potential landing spot for Machado. Not only would he boost this team from a defensive point of view, but he would also add extra muscle on offense that could close the gap between them and the Red Sox.