A couple of the biggest free agent contracts in Major League history may be signed this winter as superstars Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are both currently on the open market.
Machado may have cost himself some money due to his lack of hustle while playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 postseason, although he recently retracted some comments he made about his unwillingness to hustle.
He still is expected to possibly sign a contract upwards of $300 million solely because of his age, talent and ability to play a premier position like shortstop.
Machado spent his whole career in the American League with the Baltimore Orioles before making the switch to the National League when he was traded to the Dodgers this season.
He downplayed the difficulty of that move and does not believe that league will play a factor in where he chooses to sign this winter, via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
“I don’t think switching leagues is as big a deal as it used to be,” Machado said. “Both leagues are different, but at the end of the day, you still have to hit the baseball that’s coming at you the same way. I’ll feel good no matter which league I’m playing in.”
Teams from both leagues like the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies have shown interest in Machado, so it makes sense that he would not want to limit his options.
Machado is a lot more accustomed to the AL though and he had a lot more success with the Orioles than the Dodgers in 2018. In 96 games with Baltimore, Machado hit .315/.387/.575 with 24 home runs and 65 RBI.
Those numbers decreased to .273/.338/.487 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI in 66 games with the Dodgers. His on-base plus slugging percentage dropped from .963 to .825.
Whether that has to do with the pitching of each league remains to be seen, but it is definitely something for Machado to consider before he signs a 7-10 year deal with a team.
