steveno89

Sox absolutely will not be competitive this season unless they made significant rotation changes/dramatic improvement Rodon, Giolito, Nova, Lopez, Covey? is not a playoff caliber rotation, and might be one of the worst in the MLB

Those are far more minor moves in the grand scheme of things though. Machado/Harper have the National beat guys all over their rumor mill

Generally speaking? Yes. But with a guy like Machado/Harper I feel the National media guys would be all over a scoop like that signing

One would think that if Machado and the Sox were hypothetically moving towards finalizing a deal that there would be far more smoke?

If he's good and stays healthy, it's a three year deal. If he gets hurt and/or doesn't perform it's a two year deal basically.

The Herrera signing I do not mind because it does not tie up money long term. Depending on if the 3rd year option is a club/vesting/player, we are not committed beyond next season to him. Could be a flip candidate, but also could be a guy we hang onto if he performs well.

Not necessarily. A $200+ million contract at $30+ million per season is something that usually needs to be planned for by an organization. Teams that are just entering rebuilds aren't ready to make that kind of splash, and many contenders do not have the payroll room to make it happen without sacrificing almost all of their financial flexibility. The time is right for the Sox to reel in a big fish, most likely Machado.

Machado is not taking a 4 year deal, period. Interesting how little Harper or Machado information has come out lately though. Feels like teams have made their offers and its in the consideration stage?

I think Harper ends up going back to the Nationals when this is all said and done. A star like Harper really has no intention of playing on the South Side or in Philly (just my opinion, and would rather go to LA or NYY if the money was right. Machado is a possibility, but I don't get a great sense the Sox will land either player

I feel like the Nationals are a likely landing spot for Harper at the end of the day. The longer this drags on, the more likely he resigns I feel. Harper would sign with the Dodgers or Yankees, but I don't feel the offers will be lucrative in the end for him. Honestly, I do not feel the Sox or Phillies are desired locations for a star like Harper at the end of the day.

Not sure you can consider the Sox favorites for either player. New York and LA are flat out more appealing free agent destinations short of us offering a big pile of money (Big pile of money strategy usually wins). I wouldn't

If a player is flying in to sign a $200+ million contract you charter the damn plane for $30,000.00 roundtrip

It could be. At this point the clear suitors have emerged and both sides should have a good idea of both the contract demands and what teams are willing to do in terms of years and dollars. I still would not consider the Sox to be a favorite for either big fish.

Perhaps, but I mean the timing of this formal offer is what is most interesting to me. I feel the Sox are very serious at trying to get a deal done. No other formal offer has been reported as of yet.

What is interesting to note is the timing of this “formal” offer. Sox generally operate by keeping things close to the vest. This leaking is not typical of them as of late.

Agreed. Red Sox absolutely want Kimberly back, but not at his current asking price. I could see them compromising on a nice 4 year deal?

I was referring to Machado, not Harper. The Harper offer was reportedly 10/284 in total value from the Nationals.

Let’s hypothetically say the Sox offered something along the lines of 7/238 with an AAV of $34 million. That is hardly an offer to sneeze at. The Sox would be paying top dollar for him until he’s 34, at which the chances he declines are very real. Teams are going to get leery of paying a $100 million premium for a player in his mid 30’s. Not saying they wouldn’t go higher, but you are playing with fire the more years and dollars you add.

Nobody would likely know the "real" offer or terms at this stage except those very close to the situation. Tons of this is pure speculation.

Interesting to note that ZERO national reporters have commented on the information that came out today. I would have expected bigger media names to comment, but they are oddly silent right now.

Sox are not "holding out" for one or the other. They seem to be interested in both players quite a bit, and would be thrilled to land either. Internally, I'm sure they have a favorite. From a PR standpoint, either is a win.

If Dan Clark is wrong he will be absolutely TORCHED for tweets like this Shame, because he seems like a pretty solid guy

The article is misleading due to it being speculation from a player known to be close to Machado, not Machado himself. This is all speculation, next week it will be "Machado to the Phillies likely per source close to Machado" this has been going on for weeks.

I would remain calm until national reporters comment That being said the suppossed timeline for a Machado decision is rapidly approaching.

I see what you mean, but Pollock also has compensation attached, dragging his value down. If he thinks that he is going to get 5/80 then I believe he is going to be very disappointed with this market.