Even in a years-long free agency slowdown where teams have been reluctant to spend long-term on players who had accrued the service time to test the open market, Manny Machado and his ilk were supposed to be immune to this condition.
Yet as January rolls on and Machado, the one-time Orioles superstar, and fellow free agent headliner Bryce Harper wait out a slow-forming market, it's become clear that's not the case.
Wednesday's spectacle — ESPN reporting Machado's offer from the Chicago White Sox as an unspectacular seven years at $175 million, and the strong denial from his agent Dan Lozano -- was the latest chapter in an offseason for the two marquee names that hasn't unfolded as anyone expected.