Everyone wants to know where Manny Machado (and fellow top free agent Bryce Harper) will sign before the start of the 2019 MLB season. That apparently includes whoever runs the league’s official Twitter account, which curiously posted Monday afternoon about the White Sox’ reported offer to Machado.
The tweet, which was later deleted, included an image of Machado alongside previously reported terms on the Sox’ offer – eight years, $250 million – and the caption: “The White Sox want Manny on the South Side. Will he say yes?”
A screenshot can be seen below:
The White Sox are one of several teams reported to be in heavy pursuit of Machado, a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, but there’s been conflicting information on how much they’ve offered the infielder. On Sunday, ESPN reported that the Sox had bumped their offer up to eight years, while a report out of the Dominican Republic pegged the value at $250 million.
Those are the figures that MLB used in its now-deleted tweet.
However, a source told the Sun-Times that the White Sox have stuck to their original offer of seven years. USA Today also reported that the club had not increased the term length on its proposal.
Per source, the #WhiteSox offer to free agent Manny Machado has not changed and is in fact for 7 years.
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) January 14, 2019
Many fans pointed out after MLB’s tweet how unusual it was to see unofficial information reported by the media being passed along from an official league account.
At this point, it’s unclear whether Machado has serious interest in signing with the White Sox, regardless of the details of what they’ve offered so far. One report said that his camp plans to sign with the highest bidder, which could put the South Siders in a difficult position if they’re holding firm in negotiations.
The White Sox have done their part beyond hammering out contract details to appeal to Machado. Earlier this offseason, the team acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso, Machado’s brother-in-law, and outfielder Jon Jay, Machado’s longtime friend. Like everyone else, we’re waiting to see whether the money makes sense for both sides, too.
