The Chicago White Sox are reportedly interested in signing both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado this winter.
Jon Morosi, is reporting that the White Sox are indeed interested in signing both Harper and Machado. He reports that along with the Philadelphia Phillies, the White Sox are another team that wants to acquire both of the former all-stars.
Both Harper and Machado are currently free agents and are looking for long-term contracts. No free agent can officially sign with a new team until the free agency period begins on Saturday.
The White Sox are currently still in a rebuilding phase, which would seem to make them an unattractive destination. Last season, the White Sox finished with a record of 62 wins and 1oo losses.
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That record earned them a fourth-place finish in the American League Central division. However, the White Sox do have one of the best minor league systems in the MLB, so they could look to surround all their young talent with proven all-stars like Harper and Machado.
They also have the second-lowest payroll in the league. Currently, their payroll sits at $14.3 million. Now, that number doesn't mean much at this moment because the White Sox still have arbitration to deal with.
Which means their payroll will increase a fair amount, but they do have just over $28 million coming off the books due to free agency.
At the end of this past season, the White Sox had a payroll of over $71 million. Which means with money coming off the books, there's no reason to say the White Sox wouldn't have the money to pay both Harper and Machado.
Harper and Machado are likely to command a large annual salary on their new contracts. It has been speculated that each of them will command $30 million plus per year.
Which would likely disqualify teams like the Dodgers, Cubs, and Giants to acquire the pair due to their already high payrolls.
With the way teams like to lock up young players until they reach their late 20s, it will be very unlikely we will ever see two players with this much talent both on the open market at the same time again.