Good morning, Mets fans! Welcome back to another hot stove rumor roundup! Neither Manny Machado nor Bryce Harper has agreed to a deal with a team, though that hasn’t stopped front offices and reporters from speculating.

White Sox Reportedly Offer Machado $175MM, Agent Denies

With the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies each neck-and-neck in the race for infielder Manny Machado, reports from ESPN‘s Buster Olney of a seven-year, $175MM offer have unfortunately diverted attention from the talent being pursued and (in a continuation of last year’s farce of an offseason) towards the integrity – or lack thereof – that has damaged the relationship between players, owners, and the media.

With an average annual value of just $25MM, the reported offer has received backlash from fans and pundits alike. Considering each of Jake Arrieta, Yoenis Céspedes, Albert Pujols, Jason Heyward, and Félix Hernández made more money in 2018, it’s easy to understand the frustration. Machado’s agent, Dan Lozano (representing the MVP Sports Group), recently put out an impassioned statement refuting Olney’s report (which had been confirmed by Bob Nightengale of USA Today shortly thereafter).

Lozano wrote, “I don’t know if their sources are blatantly violating the Collective Bargaining Agreement by intentionally misleading them to try and affect negotiations through the public or are just flat out lying to them for other reasons. But the truth is that their reports on the details of the White Sox level of interest in Manny are completely wrong… The absence of new information to report is no excuse to fabricate “news” or regurgitate falsehoods without even attempting to confirm their validity and it is a disservice to baseball fans everywhere when the media does just that.”

Whether or not news outlets made an informed call, either outcome does not possibly bode well for the current well-being of players, both those who are currently under contract and those in need of one heading into 2019. Entangled with what has been another frustratingly stagnant offseason, the misinformation and outright miscommunication between parties cannot persist as they currently do, much less so in the case of a 26-year old who has the potential to redefine a franchise ahead of the next decade.

Cubs Out on Harper

In a less surprising but still noteworthy development, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon reportedly told a fan during a Q&A that the team signing Bryce Harper was “not going to happen.” On ESPN1000 yesterday afternoon, Jim Bowden divulged that the organization had “never engaged” on a Harper contract, adding that they “might make a whisper or two but they will not be making a big move.”

Such a match seemed far-fetched to begin with given the Cubs’ payroll situation this coming year. They currently have an estimated payroll of over $210MM (the second-highest in baseball behind the Boston Red Sox), with nearly half their money in 2019 being owed to Jason Heyward, Yu Darvish, Jon Lester, Cole Hamels, and Ben Zobrist.

Thus far, Harper’s name has been tied primarily to the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals, though nothing new has come about regarding either team’s progress since Nightengale‘s report that the Phillies were the “clear-cut favorite.”

Gray Trade Talks Intensifying

Per Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports, the New York Yankees’ ongoing trade negotiations regarding Sonny Gray are set to “ramp up.”

Seeing as CC Sabathia (artery troubles last month) is now cleared to resume baseball activities, few hangups remain in the idea of parting with the former ace, and team general manager Brian Cashman could certainly pull the trigger given the current market in front of him. Heyman reports that at least six teams have been linked to Gray, including the Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds.

While his 5.26 ERA and 3.9 BB/9 made for a disastrous 2018 in the Bronx, it should be noted that Gray managed a sub-3.00 FIP on the road and is still just 29 years of age. Given the $9.1MM he is owed this upcoming contract year, Cashman will have his share of selling to do in order to cash in on a pitcher of whom he said “the plan is to move… because I don’t want to keep going through the process of something that won’t work here” just two months prior.

Much of Gray’s struggles last year could be chalked up to a teamwide approach that restricted use of the fastball and sinker, which ultimately left him to struggle with a below-average curveball and slider as his hard-hit rate rose to a career-worst 35.5%.

An Update on a Familiar Face

Now 32 years of age, former Met catcher Josh Thole has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers with an invitation to Spring Training (first reported by Andersen Pickard of MLB Daily Dish).

Thole last played in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016, when he hit .169/.254/.220 in 50 games while throwing out 25% of baserunners and framing 7.9 runs above average. He has spent the last two seasons with Triple-A affiliates for both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers, missing much of 2017 with a torn hamstring and spending a month in early 2018 with the New Britain Bees – an independent team in the Atlantic League.

Thole is perhaps best remembered by Mets fans for his time catching both Johan Santana‘s no-hitter and the majority of R.A. Dickey‘s Cy Young starts in 2012. He hit .251/.321/.318 with four homers and 61 RBI in 2011 and 2012 while posting a 0.7 dWAR. He was traded to the Jays with Dickey and backup catcher Mike Nickeas in exchange for John Buck, Noah Syndergaard, Travis d’Arnaud, and Wuilmer Becerra.