Are White Sox Still Frontrunners to Acquire Manny Machado?
White Sox made news last week as they reportedly put in a trade offer for the talented All-Star infielder. Are the South Siders still frontrunners to acquire the third baseman?
The Chicago White Sox surprised many people last week during the Winter Meetings when they reportedly expressed trade interest in Manny Machado. Machado, the current third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles could be a free agent next offseason. However, the Orioles are looking to trade him with one year remaining on his current contract.
Although the Sox were rumored to have trade interest in Machado, there are many other teams that are also interested in the All-Star infielder. Machado will surely attract many suitors next year when he’s a free agent, but is it worth the risk for the Sox to acquire him for next season? The Sox aren’t expected to contend in 2018, but the hope is maybe they could give Machado a preview of what to expect if he signs a long-term contract after next season.
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This could be a risky proposition as the Sox could trade some prospects for just a year of Machado’s services. However, the Sox might not even be the frontrunners to acquire Machado in a trade according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. According to Rosenthal, the frontrunners to acquire Machado via trade are the Cubs, Cardinals, Red Sox, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Rockies.
These frontrunners are some teams that could make sense in acquiring Machado. However, Rosenthal didn’t list the Sox as a frontrunner. Most likely because the Sox aren’t going to trade any of their top prospects for one year of Machado. The Sox have done a great job in rebuilding their farm system, and subtracting from their great young pitching depth could be too risky.
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The Sox will most likely target Machado very heavily next offseason and will have the money to splurge on him or any other top-tier free agent. If they’re able to strike a deal for Machado without giving up much from their farm system, it could give them an advantage over other interested teams for next year’s offseason. Expect the Sox to work on improving this team for long-term success. Even if that means waiting until Machado is a free agent next year.