Pitchers and catchers report in a couple of weeks, yet many of the game's top free agents remain without jobs. That group includes Manny Machado, arguably the best player available heading into the winter. It appeared Wednesday that we got our first idea of what kind of deal Machado could ink this winter when Buster Olney of ESPN reported that the White Sox, one of only a handful of teams interested in Machado, offered him a seven-year contract worth $175 million.

However, Machado's agent called the rumor "completely wrong." Dan Lozano of MVP Sports Group released the following statement regarding the recent reports about potential offers for his star client: 

Lozano expressed his concerns about the validity of the sources: "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. The truth is that their reports on the details of the White Sox level of interest in Manny are completely wrong."

Lozano went on to talk about the overall impact these reports have on the future of free agency: "I am not going to continue to watch the press be manipulated in to tampering with, not just with my client, but with all these players' livelihoods as they have been doing this entire offseason."

Still, it seems the markets for Machado and fellow top free agent Bryce Harper are far below what many people imagined heading into the offseason. If teams are unwilling to pay Machado his market value -- a high-caliber performer in his mid-20s who can play premium defensive positions -- then there's no hope for anyone to get their fair share.