Pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training. Yay! Far too many free agents remain unsigned and like half the league isn't really trying to win. Boo!
Let's round up the latest from the rumor mill that really shouldn't be still churning on Feb. 12.
Machado's White Sox offer has a wide range
Reports of a seven-year, $175 million from the White Sox for the services of star shortstop Manny Machado were summarily shot down by his agent earlier this offseason. It certainly should be far too light on the average annual value. Jon Heyman has it somewhere between that and a deal worth $250 million overall.
Have heard reported offer of 250M for 8 yrs for Machado by White Sox isn’t right. May or may not be close, but guess would be that at least today it’s a bit lower. Higher than 175 but lower than 250. At least at moment. (So yes, we still don’t have facts, just educated guesses.)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 12, 2019
At this point, maybe eight years and $250 million would get the job done, though Heyman doesn't have the deal being quite that much.
More here on the Machado market, with the Padres pushing hard:
Told that Padres have been very aggressive with offer to Machado but he doesn’t know if he wants to go there. Some in his camp pushing for shorter term deal with Yankees. Phillies, White Sox also big on him, as you surely know.
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) February 12, 2019
The Yankees really haven't shown much interest. It's at the point where it looks like the Padres, Phillies and White Sox are recruiting Machado while his "camp" is recruiting the Yankees, though it's still possible Machado to they Yankees happens after all.
No short-term deal for Harper
A recent report indicated the Giants had a chance to sign Bryce Harper on something like a five-year deal with a big annual salary. Heyman, who is dialed in on Scott Boras clients, reports that a short-term deal will not be good enough for Harper to sign. More on that here.
deGrom gets aggressive with Mets
Mets ace and NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom is set to hit free agency after the 2020 season, but would like to talk extension. Instead, the Mets are dragging their feet while deGrom and his agent get pretty aggressive, even with talk of limiting his workload. Full story here.
Giants sign Parra
The Giants have added a free agent outfielder, though not the one for whom fans are clamoring. They have added Gerardo Parra on a minor-league deal, reports Heyman. Parra, 31, has played all three outfield positions in his career but should probably stick on the corners at this point -- especially if he's playing in the tough center field in Oracle Park.
Last season for the Rockies, he hit .284/.342/.372 (82 OPS+) with 17 doubles, six homers and 11 steals in 443 plate appearances.
Marlins talking with Romo
Veteran Sergio Romo "is among the free-agent relievers" the Marlins are discussing, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Romo heads to his age-36 season coming off quite the interesting year with Tampa Bay. He made five starts as an "opener" while also saving 25 games. His strikeout rate was good but a lot of the rest of his line was just around average.
If the Marlins do sign Romo, it's possible -- if not likely -- he'd be in the mix to close. As currently constructed, Drew Steckenrider and Adam Conley are the top in-house options for manager Don Mattingly.
A's not giving up on Kyler Murray
Despite the announcement that he's putting all he has into getting picked as high as possible in the NFL Draft, the Athletics are still holding out hope to retain Murray, per a report. Full story here, including details on how they could outbid any NFL team.
