Report: Manny Machado not in love with Philadelphia either

Manny Machado visited Philadelphia – and took a picture with an electrical worker – last Thursday. It completed a week-long free-agent tour that also saw the four-time All-Star visit with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. The tour may ultimately conclude with Machado signing a lucrative contract with the Phillies, though it increasingly looks like the Phillies would have to issue a record contract to lure the 26-year-old.

In fact, Joel Sherman of The New York Post says that there are rumblings that Machado, like Bryce Harper, isn’t enamored with Philadelphia:

Word is neither player [Machado or Harper] particularly likes Philadelphia and both would have preferred the Yankees, who have shown little interest in Harper.

It’s the worst-kept secret in sports that Machado, who grew up as a fan of Alex Rodriguez, is fond of the idea of playing for the Yankees. You always had a pretty good idea that the Phillies would have to outbid the Yankees to land Machado. But just how much they may have to overpay to keep Machado from heading to the Bronx – or the south side of Chicago, for that matter – was perhaps not as clear.

Last week, Jack Curry of the YES Network said that while the Yankees believe Machado wants to sign with them, they also think the Phillies are going to offer Machado 10 years, at least two more than they would feel comfortable going to. However, George A. King III of The New York Post reported over the weekend that there’s industry speculation that the Phillies may not be keen on the idea of offering Machado a 10-year deal.

It’s difficult to sift through things around this time of year. Everything is fluid in the offseason. The Phillies may prefer to sign Machado for eight or nine years, but that doesn’t mean they won’t ultimately issue a decade-long offer. Machado may prefer living in New York or Chicago than Philadelphia – most people without a connection to Philadelphia probably would – but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t accept an offer from the Phillies if it gave him the best financial security.

Given that managing partner John Middleton suggested the Phillies were prepared to “maybe even be a little stupid” about how they spent their money this offseason, it will be interesting to see just how far the team is willing to go in their pursuit. The Phillies have added Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura this offseason, but if they don’t walk away with one of Machado or Harper, it would be a tough sell to a fanbase that has looked forward to this offseason for years.

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