FT35

I agree...not sure if there's a case where the Yankees are really "out" of anything--unless by their own choosing.

Not sure about this...maybe the only "known" official offer was in that 200 million range--as reported earlier. Who knows what it's been upped to now--if anything. I think this is the "report only what you know" version of language.

I think the sign is backwards there.

I mean...if we expected it would take 300 million each to sign these guys--600 total...and we were interested in both, as it seems to be the case...if we could get Machado for 240, then Harper for 275, you've got an extra 85 towards Kimbrel's 100???

Phones probably started ringing for his agent when the rumor of our supposed "best" offer being closer to $200M hit the air waves. That would open the door for a lot of teams to add a superstar of Machado's caliber on a long-term mega deal.

Only thing is...this was back when baseball was baseball and not a collection of metric-driven behavior. Nowadays, teams stack their best hitters at the top of the lineup to get them the most ABs. I don't think the Sox would prefer a lineup that gets Jon Jay the most possible ABs. Now if they decide to play baseball again, then I think we see him 1 or 2.

I mean...it sure seems like Rick has done his part and then some. Seems it’s up to Manny now! All kinds of love waiting for him here when that happens!

Oh they’re sweetening it...just In their own unique way.

I guess this means Harper doesn’t have any friends....

Yankees might also look at Machado a little differently than other teams. While he’s a world class player, the Yankees are ALWAYS in play for guys of his caliber—whereas with the Sox, these opportunities don’t come around often. If the Yankees choose to pass on Machado, they’ll just be more in the mix for the next available star free agent. It’s not now or never for them. Still think if I’m them, my next mega piece to add would be to the starting rotation over ANOTHER bat.

I agree. If we put $9M on an Alonso link to help our chances, think of what the Yankees would be capable of to enhance theirs...

Still think a 7-year deal benefits these guys. You get more $/year now, then you give yourself a shot at one more huge $ contract at age 33 instead of 36. By the time inflation kicks in, they will end up with a ton more than an extra 3 years of a front-loaded 10-year deal signed today would give them.

I’m kinda with you. Here’s what I think. $40M/year is stupid in terms of risk. If Machado somehow bombs, the Yankees are much better equipped to absorb that risk. Not saying he will bomb—just not the best business decision for us to put our own backs against the wall. Honestly—these guys are studs, but I think there are better baseball decisions out there and I think there are better baseball PLAYERS out there. If we miss on these guys, it will be heartbreaking for those of us needing hope in a faster rebuild...but $40M/year could buy you Arenado (who would rake in our stadium too) + another dominant bullpen piece or even a mid-rotation starter. They would have to overpay in an Arenado trade possibly this year—then resign him. But if they put as much into getting that done as they did going for Harper/Machado, they might just get a deal done. Admittingly, that plan would cost prospects AND money as opposed to just money...but it might be surplus prospects who are dealt and a LOT of money saved.

Still think it was just a win now signing. Indians were on the verge and thought EE would put them over the top. Not a mistake, just a very common move for a franchise in win now mode. If it doesn’t work out, you just have to get creative to work around it if your win now status changes—to smart franchises, that comes a little easier.

Only thing I can think of is something important to keep in mind through all this. If we sign Harper or Machado, that would completely alter the organization as we would immediately go from “rebuilding” to “win now” mode. Our prospects who we now view as our future team, would all be on the table to acquire win now pieces. Only the elite would be safe—Jimenez, Kopech, Robert (maaaaaybe Madrigal)—that might be it. Harper/Machado changes our lineup, sure, but it also immediately changes how we view everyone else and their future with us. IMO, trading a prospect for EE could only make sense if there’s a drastic philosophy change due to a mega signing.

No Ronald Belasario votes?!

I actually think signing one is what it will take for US to sign the other. It’s the idea of BOTH that would get them to sign. The other teams just need 1...we need both to establish ourselves as contenders—worthy of spending the next 10 years with.

Yep.

We’re one of the few teams in a rare position to sign both. A team with both would be worth playing for. These guys need to realize that THEY have a unique opportunity to join together and begin a super team legacy.

Totally with you on the benefits of going last. Maybe we could talk him into signing tonight and saving a week’s worth of travel expenses and lavish living going to all these meetings??? That’s got to count towards something?!

That’s because this photo isn’t Machado—it’s Avi Garcia and his wife showing up for the Sox’ Christmas party later tonight...

I think the report about us not going big is simply to say we aren’t going to break records. Using Stanton’s 325M as the bar and Buster’s comment, maybe Harper/Machado are going to come in around or under that number. It’s not to say they are going to be had at a discount, but the talk has bloated that estimate to 400M in some circles and that’s the balloon the new dialog is intended to pop. Everyone knows these guys are going to get a huge contract, but people are trying to keep the crazies in check.

Yep. I mean look at what we know...something is causing everyone to think we’re “leading candidate” to sign both these guys. That dialog doesn’t just fabricate itself. Personally, dissecting our FO comments, I believe they are going for both—and that’s why the insiders are saying we’re leading candidate for Harper and leading candidate for Machado. Also...it seems as though there are 2 players for these guys. Sox and Phillies. Maybe 1 goes to either team, maybe both come here. I think, at the moment at least, the only way we don’t end up with 1 is if they both go to Philly.

I’m not really thrilled about it because I don’t like players calling the shots. But...times are a little different and Jerry cares a lot about his players. We’ve done this before for Ozzie and John Danks. But in this case, Alonso isn’t quite a blow off player. He’s another Todd Frazier—a capable MLB player and can contribute at a level that matches his market. It could very well be that we are on the verge of something huge—where a move like this, spending 9 million just to make it known how much we care about a player’s wishes...could trigger a domino of signings that could transform the franchise in a big way. Hopefully it will all make sense soon!

It’s possible his agent told him to put together a wish list for his new destination because he knew teams would basically pour everything out to get him. If Machado is as family oriented as people are saying, it’s possible that playing with his brother-in-law was a desire of his. Maybe he was willing to defer the amount of Alonso’s salary off his new mega contract to fulfil that desire—who knows what’s all included in a contract like this. With both players sharing the same agent, it could have been a goal to try to make happen. Since it did, I’m liking that the Sox are the team trying to make it happen. Goes a long way in establishing the trust in a long-term player/organization relationship.