We don't know too much more today than we did yesterday about Manny Machado's meeting with the White Sox from back in December, the first stop on his free-agent tour that has still yet to yield a decision on where the 26-year-old superstar will be spending the better part of the next decade.
But someone's talking about it.
White Sox manager Rick Renteria was asked about that meeting Wednesday while at a community event ahead of this weekend's SoxFest, and he provided if not details at least a characterization of how the meeting went.
"Listen, Rick (Hahn, general manager) and the front office put a great presentation together for them," Renteria told reporters, including MLB.com's Scott Merkin. "It was very detailed. I would say this: If I was on the other side, I would have been very, very impressed.
"I thought it was a great meeting, great young man. We expressed our interest. We talked about what we are as an organization. And we looked forward. ... You just don't know yet where things will fall. I thought it was a very positive meeting for all parties involved."
Renteria also revealed that Jose Abreu was involved in the meeting with Machado, which if nothing else perhaps provides some insight into how the White Sox view Abreu as a part of their long-term plans.
"Manny spent a lot of time talking to (Abreu)," Renteria said, according to The Score's Bruce Levine. "I think he spent time getting to know us and vice versa. I thought for me it was a very positive meeting with us for all parties involved. Our industry will paint a portrait of everyone in a particular way. What you are looking at is a player who has great talent and has the ability to impact any club. Nothing is done. We will see what happens and, hopefully, we will be a part of that and move on from there."
MLB
So that's not exactly a play-by-play of what went down that day at Guaranteed Rate Field. But those are the first public comments we've heard about the meeting from the White Sox, making them decently noteworthy.
Of course, the White Sox and the rest of the baseball world are still waiting on Machado to make up his mind. The South Siders' offer — which Levine once more described as seven years long and worth $175 million — is the only one that's been reported on, leaving it up to the imagination what other offers Machado could be mulling. Those numbers associated with the White Sox reported offer are far from the beginning-of-the-offseason expectations of what kind of deal Machado would receive. But with the White Sox competing perhaps exclusively with the Philadelphia Phillies for Machado's services, the idea of him receiving a record-breaking contract seems less and less likely as the days move along. Though it's that which could be extending this saga, with Machado's agent waiting for an offer more to his liking. Whether he'll get one from the White Sox, Phillies or those mystery teams that keep floating around out there remains unknown.
What seems like a decently safe bet is that things won't be wrapped up when SoxFest commences Friday afternoon. While a surprise Machado introduction in front of the sold-out crowd would be a moment for the ages, Renteria hasn't been clued in that something like that is coming.
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