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MLB notebook: Padres reportedly offer Machado up to $280 million

[February 19, 2019] The San Diego Padres are willing to sign free agent infielder Manny Machado to an eight-year contract worth between $240 million and $280 million, USA Today reported on Monday.

The contract offer includes "heavily deferred" compensation, the newspaper said, citing two people familiar with the negotiations.

Machado also has received an offer from the Chicago White Sox. While the exact offer isn't known, and various reports have been disputed, it is believed to be in the seven-year, $175 million ballpark.

Machado, 26, also has been in discussions with Philadelphia. Multiple reports over the weekend indicated that this season's other marquee free agent, outfielder Bryce Harper, is close to signing with Philadelphia.

--Having already picked up Chris Sale's contract option for 2019, Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said the team has opened discussions on signing the left-hander to a long-term deal.

Sale was typically dominating in the first half of the 2018 season, going 10-4 with a 2.23 ERA, but he had two stints on the disabled list in the second half and pitched just five innings between July 28 and Sept. 10.

Sale made three starts and two relief appearances in the postseason as the Red Sox went on to win the World Series, posting a 4.11 ERA in 15 1/3 innings, while striking out the side and recording the final out in the deciding Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers.

--Werner also told reporters it is "extremely unlikely" the team will bring back closer Craig Kimbrel.

Kimbrel saved 108 games and was an All-Star in each of the past three seasons in Boston. Overall, he is a seven-time All-Star but the free-agent market hasn't been booming for his services.

Early in the offseason, there were reports Kimbrel was seeking a deal worth more than $100 million.

--Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno said the club has had internal discussions about making a new contract offer for superstar outfielder Mike Trout.

The two-time American League MVP has two seasons remaining on a six-year, $144.5 million deal but has not given an indication whether he intends to remain with the team after 2020.

"I'm not going to talk about that," Trout told reporters. Moreno also met with reporters, and he declined to go into detail when asked if there had been negotiations with Trout and his agent, Craig Landis.

--San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced that he will retire after the 2019 season. The announcement was made on the club's Twitter feed.

Bochy, who turns 64 in April and has undergone multiple heart procedures, has guided the Giants to three World Series titles (2010, 2012, 2014) during his tenure. He also managed the San Diego Padres to the 1998 World Series when that club lost to the New York Yankees.

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Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Manny Machado (8) reacts after striking out against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning in game five of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Bochy enters the 2019 season with the 11th-most wins in major league history. He is 1,926-1,944 in 24 seasons -- 12 with the Padres and 12 with the Giants.

--Cleveland Indians All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor isn't too worried about landing a big-money contract extension, not when he is under club control for three more years and he has an injured right calf muscle to rehab.

The initial time frame two weeks ago targeted Lindor to miss seven to nine weeks, meaning possibly being sidelined at the outset of the 2019 season, although he said, "It's funny with time frames -- you never know."

Lindor, 25, recently avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $10.55 million contract after established career highs of 38 homers and 92 RBIs last season while batting .277. The three-time All-Star said he was happy to reach a settlement.

--Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark took a mighty swing at Rob Manfred one day after the commissioner said free-agent players were still unsigned because they failed to adjust their financial demands to fit with the market.

Clark questioned the commitment of clubs when it comes to putting together a winning team and said a number of clubs don't "justify the price of a ticket," a day after Manfred said the sport's reliance on analytics is changing the view on how players should be paid.

Clark countered that baseball is "operating in an environment in which an increasing number of clubs appear to be making little effort to improve their rosters, compete for a championship or justify the price of a ticket."

--Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera faced live pitching for the first time since an arm injury in June and reiterated after his team's first full-squad workout at spring training that he would prefer not to be a full-time designated hitter.

--Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria and the New York Mets agreed on a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.

--Field Level Media

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