GLENDALE, Ariz. — Manny Machado hasn't shown up at Camelback Ranch. Neither has Bryce Harper.
The White Sox first full-squad workout comes Monday. Will there be a surprise appearance from one of the two biggest names on the free-agent market?
The South Siders have been in pursuit of both 26-year-old superstars for months as their free agency has dragged into spring training. So what's the latest?
Well, apparently things are "heating up" between Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, the White Sox main competition for both of these guys all offseason long. The Phillies have been described as the most likely landing spot for Harper since November, and now talks between the two sides are "intensifying," according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale was even more definitive.
What that actually means in terms of when a deal could be done, who knows? That's how this offseason has gone. According to the information from Heyman, the White Sox aren't out yet. For those who think there's no chance that Harper comes to the South Side, at least know that the White Sox are in on the free-agent superstar until they aren't. They reportedly met with him twice in the final months of 2018, though various reports indicated they never made a formal offer.
Of course, the info from Nightengale, who has been saying Harper was going to the Phillies since the GM Meetings in November, makes it look like it's the Phillies' game to lose.
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But here's the good news for White Sox fans: If Harper ends up in Philly, that could dramatically increase the chances Machado comes to Chicago. While the Phillies have proclaimed a desire to "maybe be a little stupid" with their free-agent spending this offseason, adding both Harper and Machado on massive deals on top of the free-agent contracts handed out to Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson seems unlikely.
While the White Sox don't exactly need either player and the franchise's rebuilding plans wouldn't be negatively affected should they both opt to play somewhere else, there was a bit of a nightmare scenario forming in where Harper would've been wooed to the West Coast by the San Francisco Giants and the Phillies could've sent all their stupid money Machado's way, leaving the White Sox empty handed. With Harper perhaps on the verge of landing in Philly, that scenario no longer exists, and the White Sox could still be favorites for Machado.
That being said, there was more news Sunday, with Nightengale throwing some Machado-related info in a tweet about Mike Moustakas going back to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Padres emerged as a late entry in the Machado derby and have reportedly met with him. They, like the White Sox, can pitch a loaded farm system and a rebuild on the cusp of producing a perennial contender.
Of course, neither the White Sox nor the Padres are the New York Yankees, Machado's supposed preferred landing spot. The Bronx Bombers have a loaded infield and appear to be preseason World Series contenders without him, but the longer he waits, the longer the historically deep-pocketed franchise has to get back in the mix. Most likely, however, Machado is waiting for the biggest possible contract. The numbers that have been associated with reported offers have not been anywhere near the gigantic total he was expected to receive at the beginning of the offseason.
The White Sox are still in both derbies, and both players remain undecided. So nothing new there. But if Harper and the Phillies are moving toward something, that could bring this interminable wait to a conclusion.
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