Potential New York Yankees target Manny Machado is the biggest story of the offseason and his agent is tired of the constant rumors.
The hot stove has been more of a lukewarm stove this winter. Manny Machado is still one of the big fishes on the market. The New York Yankees were one of the supposed suitors for Machado, but the Bronx Bombers don’t appear to be interested in the superstar infielder.
The Yankees aren’t the only team who appear to be hesitant to dole out a massive contract to Machado. Recent reports circulated that the Chicago White Sox offered Machado seven-years at $175 million. But Machado’s camp is refuting this number and issuing a strong statement regarding the many reports coming out about the superstar.
Machado’s agent of MVP Sports Group, Dan Lozano, issued a powerful rebuke to the rampant rumors regarding his client (via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com):
“I have known Bob Nightengale and Buster Olney for many years and have always had a good professional relationship with both, But their recent reporting, like many other rumors in the past several months, have been inaccurate and reckless when it comes to Manny Machado. I don’t know if their sources are blatantly violating the Collective Bargaining Agreement by intentionally misleading them to try and affect negotiations through the public or are just flat out lying to them for other reasons. But the truth is that their reports on the details of the White Sox level of interest in Manny are completely wrong.
“I am well aware that the entire baseball universe: fans, players teams, and media members alike: are starved for information about this free agent market for all players, including Manny. But I am not going to continue to watch the press be manipulated into tampering with, not just with my client, but all of these players’ livelihoods as they have been doing this entire offseason. The absence of new information to report is no excuse to fabricate ‘news’ or regurgitate falsehoods without even attempting to confirm their validity and it is a disservice to baseball fans everywhere when the media does just that.
Moving forward, I will continue to respect the CBA’s prohibition on negotiations through the media, and hope that others would do the same.”
It’s understandable that Lozano would want to shut down these White Sox rumors because that is a low number based on earlier projections for Machado.
Of course, it’s likely that Machado’s camp has been leaking things to the press in order to boost his value. There have been talks of a “mystery team” in on the bidding for Machado.
The fact of the matter is that Machado’s free agency appears to be far from over. Until he signs on the dotted line for a team, expect the unexpected. Furthermore, expect this process to drag on for longer than in years past.
