Why Machado, Harper could choose the White Sox (or other teams in contention)
As the late, great Tom Petty pointed out, the waiting is the hardest part.
In this case, it's Manny Machado and Bryce Harper.
If you were expecting either of the star free agents to sign in November or December, you haven't been paying attention to the business side of baseball. Typically, the longer the elite ones wait, the bigger the payoff.
Neither Machado nor Harper are in any hurry to make a decision, so all of the speculation may very well drag through the rest of January and possibly into February.
As for potential landing spots, only a handful of teams appear to be players. Let's take a closer look:
Phillies
Pros
Owner John Middleton said Philadelphia entered the off-season "expecting to spend money, and maybe even be a little stupid about it."
The Phillies have already added Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson, but they can still afford to sign Machado or Harper.
In luring one of the Big 2 free agents, Philadelphia has a pair of selling points already on the roster - ace starter Aaron Nola and emerging slugger Rhys Hoskins.
Cons
I always refer back to Gavin Floyd on this one.
After joining the White Sox in a trade from the Phillies in 2006, Floyd said when playing home games in Philadelphia, it always felt like a "dark cloud" was hanging over the stadium.
It's a tough town to play in, and the Phillies haven't been to the playoffs, or been over .500, since 2011.
Yankees
Pros
Love them or hate them, they are the NEW YORK YANKEES!
OK, maybe not so much anymore, but they still have a lot to offer, loads of money and a lineup that features Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge along with Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres, who finished second and third in 2018 AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Cons
The Yankees have reduced their payroll in each of the last two seasons, dropping to $196 million in 2017 and $166 million last year.
There have been some rumblings that owner Hal Steinbrenner wants to stay under $200 million, which would be a problem since both Machado and Harper are looking for deals in the range of $30 million-plus per season.
White Sox
Pros
They have one of the best farm systems in baseball, and Eloy Jimenez is going to debut in 2019, followed by young talent like Dylan Cease, Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal.
Michael Kopech showed his star potential before blowing out his elbow in early September, but he'll be back in 2020.
The Sox also acquired Yonder Alonso in a Dec. 15 trade with the Indians. He is Machado's brother-in-law.
Cons
All of the premium prospects are enticing, but how many of them will reach their maximum potential? The possibility of playing in front of small home crowds might also be factors for Machado and Harper.
Dodgers
Pros
They've been to the playoffs six straight years, making it to the World Series the last two.
Los Angeles also took care of its high payroll issue, trading Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer to the Reds last month.
Cons
Ace Clayton Kershaw has made 27 or fewer starts four times in the past five years, and he was a liability in the playoffs last season.
The Dodgers have good depth in the rotation, but they'll be rightly concerned if health issues continue to hamper Kershaw.
Nationals
Pros
On Harper only, Washington has reportedly made a new offer to retain the 26-year-old outfielder, more than $300 million over 10 years.
Cons
In his seven seasons with Washington, the Nats made the playoffs four times and lost in the first round four times. That could very well be a change of scenery factor for Harper.
Cubs
Pros
On Harper only, he is best friends with Kris Bryant and has been linked to the Cubs for well over a year. He would join a team that has made four straight postseason appearances.
Cons
With so many big contracts on the books, there doesn't seem to be enough money for Harper unless Theo Epstein can make some deals (Jason Heyward, Yu Darvish) that seem borderline impossible.