By Tyler Norris
There has been a ton of speculation during the MLB offseason of where superstar free agents Manny Machado and Bryce Harper would play next season. It was said very early in the offseason that both Machado and Harper could potentially have a future in the white and navy pinstripes of the New York Yankees; however, talks of Machado to the Yankees was halted upon the Yankees signing Gold Glove second basemen DJ LeMahieu, and former Gold Glove shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Harper, however, would still remain in the mix; with speculation of the Yankees converting him to a first baseman, a major hole in the Yankees lineup. The drama carried on over the coming months for both of these potential future Hall of Famers; with the possible suitors hoping for Harper to become a Giant, Dodger, or Philly, while the White Sox emerged as the potential front-runner for Machado[ . Rumors popped up on the formal offer that was made to Machado by the White Sox, sources say the offer was upwards of $200 million. It appeared to be a done deal for Machado to sign with the White Sox, until February 21 when multiple MLB sources released that third baseman Manny Machado will sign a 10 year, $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres. This stunned the baseball world as Machado had just become the highest paid professional baseball player. Controversy arose over social media that Machado only signed for the money, being that the Padres have not been real contenders since their last playoff run in 2006. Just one week after Machado signing with the Padres, it was announced on February 28 that Bryce Harper had agreed to a 13 year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. With Harper and Machado now the two highest paid professional baseball players, larger market players such as Mike Trout, and Aaron Judge will likely seek as much, if not more money, when their contracts expire. Needless to say, the 2019 season is shaping up to be incredibly interesting.
