Should the Texas Rangers Jump into the Manny Machado Mix?

What Would It Take To Get It Done?

The biggest stumbling block for Jon Daniels and his willingness to get a deal done would be the hefty contract Machado is likely to get. Most recently we heard that he had an 8-year deal on the table from the White Sox. MLB Trade Rumors predicted at the beginning of the offseason that Machado would get 13 years, $390 million. While I don’t think Machado gets more than 10 years, I do think he gets more than $30 million per year.

I think the Rangers should go in at 9 years for the star player at $35 million per year. Yes, that’s an insane contract in today’s game. But Manny is only 26, already a superstar and fills a variety of needs for the club. And if you’re on the side of waiting for Nolan Arenado next offseason, Arenado is over a year older and probably won’t be much cheaper considering he asked for $30 million in arbitration with the Rockies. If Machado wants to adjust, I’d have leeway of a year in either direction on the length. The value shouldn’t be any higher though.

Additionally, as you might have noticed, in a lineup featuring Machado above, Nomar Mazara was not included. I think to get this deal done, Texas has to trade Nomar this offseason. No Mazara isn’t a financial restraint for Texas right now but signing Machado would signal a sure plan meaning it would be time for a decision in the outfield. Trading Mazara would allow Texas to bring in a quality, young starter that could help pretty much immediately and put the rebuild into the next gear.

Obviously, there’s a lot of moving pieces in this and some big hurdles meaning the likelihood is slim. While we probably won’t get to see this, if Jon Daniels has any interest in Nolan Arenado next offseason, he should shift his attention to Machado, who could be the face of the Texas Rangers for years to come.