The Chicago White Sox have made some really good moves this winter and it is likely that they wouldn’t have made them all if Manny Machado took their offer.
The Chicago White Sox offered more money to Manny Machado than they have ever offered in the history of the franchise. He turned it down and went out west to play for the San Diego Padres. He made the White Sox look pretty dumb by choosing to do so. It really looked for a while like he would end up on the south side. The White Sox did everything they could including signing his brother in law Yonder Alonso and his best friend Jon Jay.
None of it worked out and it was a miserable situation as a fan for a while. The funny thing is though, it was a blessing in disguise. Manny Machado is likely not worth the money or term that he received from the Padres. He is one year into a ten-year deal worth 300 million. When the deal expires he will be 38 years of age. There is no doubt that he won’t be nearly as productive for the middle to end of the contract. It seemed to be a good fit for the White Sox at the time but in hindsight, it is clear that it is not.
He had a good year for San Diego in 2019 but it certainly wasn’t a great year for his standards. He plays shortstop and third base. Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada play those positions for the White Sox and do a fine job. In fact, Anderson led the league in batting average and Moncada had the third highest in the American League. They both had higher WARs than Machado as well so they were better all-around baseball players. The White Sox will be just fine with them playing those positions instead.
It is also clear that the money will be better spent elsewhere. The White Sox have been very loud this offseason. They have signed Jose Abreu, Luis Robert, and James McCann to contract extensions while signing Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez, and Edwin Encarnacion in free agency. Not all of that would have been as likely if Machado accepted the White Sox offer. So 2019 is a year without Machado but developing the other talent appears to have been worth it. It is a good thing they are not locked into an aging superstar that is way ahead of their current young core.