Are The White Sox Still Actively Involved With Bryce Harper?

After a brief lull in the Manny Machado/Bryce Harper speculation-spree, not new information has been recycled yet again. Yet, there is a refreshing hint of out-of-the-box news in the new reports.

We've known the White Sox and Phillies are suitors for Harper. We've known that the Washington Nationals made an initial offer to Harper that he declined, but learned early this month that the Nats have renewed their bid for the slugger and have become competitive buyers. The Padres are...well...an also-ran if you ask me. The Phillies present a legitimate risk to the Sox's bids.

Yet, the tide has shifted to Harper deep in the polar vortex sweeping through Chicago. Not long before Jon Morosi weighed in with his sources on the Harper pool of bidders, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal sprinkled intel from his sources on similar matters.

Second and third meetings with a few teams seems promising for the White Sox, and if they're serious about grabbing Harper they should be aggressively pursuing these tertiary meetings. However, something doesn't smell quite right about their pursuit of Harper. The media frenzy in the White Sox orbit has focused on Machado recently with report after report linking someone close to the sought-after free agent circling the franchise. Hector Gomez has become a focal point for Sox fans with quasi-breaking news reports quoting Machado's estranged father adding dubious intrigue. Machado, given his position, is a player that -- to my mind at least -- seems more suited for the White Sox than Harper. And then there are Rick Hahn's comments at SoxFest putting to rest the possibility of corralling both Machado and Harper.

If White Sox brass have analytics to back up chasing Harper over Machado we'd have to trust their judgment. Harper immediately improves any roster, and although the White Sox have a swath of outfield prospects, none of them have taken a swing in the major leagues. Grabbing a proven big leaguer like Harper, entering his prime is a special opportunity. If Harper is taking the bait on the White Sox line, it would be foolish to start reeling too soon. And here is something else to chew on: If the White Sox offer to Machado is in the seven years for $175-million neighborhood, I see an opportunity to reel both players in.