Manny Machado’s free agency tour started Monday when one of the highest-profile free agents in years visited the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
It was the first of what will likely be several stops for the 26-year-old, who is set to talk to the Yankees in New York on Wednesday, according to The Post’s George A. King III.
He also reportedly has a trip lined up this week for Philadelphia, as the battle for one of the top two targets on the free-agent market —along with Bryce Harper — heats up.
Machado could have more on the line as he chats with teams and will have to explain both his comments and his actions while with the Dodgers in the playoffs last season.
Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner has said he needs to hear from Machado before the organization decides whether to offer a contract to the shortstop after Machado admitted in an interview with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that he didn’t always hustle — and wouldn’t change that aspect of his game — and also was accused of being a dirty player after an incident against the Brewers in the postseason.
Those gaffes aside, Machado is set to receive a huge payday. He reportedly met with White Sox manager Rick Renteria and got a tour of Chicago — days after the team traded for his brother-in-law, first baseman Yonder Alonso, from the Indians.
Alonso told reporters in a conference call that the two are “very close.’’
How much that’s worth remains to be seen. The White Sox, though they have young talent, haven’t finished with a winning record since 2012 and their postseason drought has lasted more than a decade.
So while the Yankees probably won’t be able to fit any of Machado’s relatives on their roster, they’ve got plenty of other selling points and they remain interested.
When they brought left-hander Patrick Corbin to Yankee Stadium during his free-agent tour late last month, general manager Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone and analyst Zac Fieroh were all in attendance.
Hitting coach Marcus Thames would figure to be part of the Yankees’ contingent on Wednesday, but it’s unclear whether Alex Rodriguez — who is an adviser to Steinbrenner and someone Machado considers a mentor — will make the trip.
The same is true for Steinbrenner, whose mother, Joan, passed away Friday.
The Yankees are already quite familiar with Machado, who spent his entire career in the AL East with the Orioles before the July trade that sent him to Los Angeles, where he helped the Dodgers get to the World Series before they fell to Boston.
Still, despite their need for an infielder, particularly in the wake of Didi Gregorius’ Tommy John surgery to his right (throwing) elbow that will keep him out for a bulk of 2019, there are limits to how far the Yankees will go for Machado.
The Yankees so far seem unwilling to hand over an offer in the 10-year, $300 million range for Machado, and Cashman has indicated Harper is not a fit on their roster. Whether Machado ends up in The Bronx could depend on what market develops for him.
The Phillies already traded for Jean Segura as part of Seattle’s sell-off, but they are expected to still make a run at Machado. They have already expressed a willingness to spend money and several members of their current front office were with Baltimore when the Orioles drafted Machado with the third overall pick in 2010.
When the Yankees didn’t meet Corbin’s contract demands and he signed with Washington earlier this offseason, they quickly turned to J.A. Happ.
So far, the Yankees have traded for Mariners lefty James Paxton and brought back Happ and fellow southpaw CC Sabathia, but Cashman has admitted he has more work to do.
That effort figures to go into overdrive Wednesday. There is no clear alternative to Machado, although the Yankees have interest in Freddy Galvis, since they need an infielder to fill in for Gregorius.