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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 26: Manny Machado #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers fields the ball during the eleventh inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game Three of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 26, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 26: Manny Machado #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers fields the ball during the eleventh inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game Three of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 26, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)Harry How/Getty Images

Manny Machado Rumors: Mystery Team Submitted Highest Bid for Star Free Agent

Paul Kasabian
Jan 18, 2019

Free-agent infielder Manny Machado is being pursued by a "mystery team" who has made the highest bid for the 26-year-old, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred:

Heyman had previously made mention of a "mystery team" in a Jan. 11 tweet as well:

According to SNY's Andy Martino, Machado "has met personally with at least one of the unidentified teams in recent days." Martino also asserted Machado "will go to highest bidder, period."

Machado had 37 home runs and 107 RBI and tallied a .297/.367/.538 slash lineย for the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

With pitchers and catchers set to report in less than a month, however, Machado remains without a team.

Machado's father, Manuel, made an interesting remark to reporter Hector Gomez (h/tย Zach Brazillerย of theย New York Post) on Friday:

If there is indeed a mystery team in the lead, then the guessing game begins regarding its identity.

Theย Chicago White Sox,ย Philadelphia Phillies,ย New York Yankeesย andย Dodgersย can all safely be ruled out, as they each have been connected to Machado publicly in some form.

Sports Illustratedย guessed that the team may be the San Diego Padres and offered sound reasoning. In particular, they noted San Diego is "a rebuilding team with a ton of good prospects, plenty of payroll space and a hole on the left side of the infield."

Mike Axisa ofย CBSSports.comย wrote a seven-step report on finding the mystery team and landed on the Padres as well. He offered this take as the biggest reason why:ย 

"One, they have a tremendous farm system that will begin plugging high-end talent into the major league roster in earnest in 2019. The most efficient way to build a contender is to develop a homegrown core and supplement it with select veterans. Machado qualifies as a select veteran. He'd accelerate the rebuild and give San Diego a lineup cornerstone."

Axisa also wrote that the Padres don't have a long-term third baseman and a lower payroll just north of $80 million, perย Cot's Baseball Contracts.

When you put all the pieces together, the Padres make a lot of sense. Given the lack of movement surrounding the core four teams after Machado, San Diego could come through the back door and sign him.

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