Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are both free-agents. (Johnmaxmena2 and Ian D’Andrea/Wikimedia Commons)
It’s been over 10 days since players have become eligible to sign free-agent contracts with new teams. At last week’s general manager’s meetings, there were perhaps more substantive trade and free-agent rumors than we usually here this early in the offseason. It sets the stage for next month’s MLB Winter Meetings, a five-day stretch that could see some of the most impactful trades and signings in major league baseball history.
While we’re in the midst of the calm before the storm, here’s a look a three takeaways from the early part of a crucial offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies.
1. Bryce Harper Could Sign at the December Winter Meetings…or Much Later
During last week’s general manager’s meetings, Chelsea Janes and Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post reported that Bryce Harper declined a 10-year/$300 million contract offer from the Washington Nationals on the final day of the 2018 regular season. The deal was probably never meant to be the Nationals final offer – it didn’t include a no-trade clause, and despite giving him an average annual value of $30 million per season, it was probably short in terms of total dollars in the deal as well. But it does illuminate the struggles that the Nationals may have in retaining their franchise icon.
It also doesn’t appear that many of the major market teams will be serious players for Harper.
Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area says that rumors of the San Francisco Giants being interested in Harper has caused “shock” in the organization, whose interest has apparently been overstated. That could change with Farhan Zaidi, the former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager, inserted as president of baseball operations, but there’s no indication to this point that it will. Despite speculation about his willingness to play first base, a source told ESPN‘s Buster Olney that Harper “isn’t going to be a Yankee.” With Yu Darvish, Jason Heyward and Tyler Chatwood set to make over $50 million combined in 2019, the Chicago Cubs may not be in position to sign Harper. The Dodgers already have six players under contract for 2019 that are capable of being starting outfielders. The Boston Red Sox, the reigning World Series champions, already have an elite outfield trio of Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew Benintendi.
Sure, it appears the Chicago White Sox could be competitive for Harper, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today was among those to report last week that the Phillies are viewed as the favorites to ultimately land the 2015 National League MVP. It’s long been expected that Harper will sign his megadeal at the MLB Winter Meetings, which will take place Dec. 9-13 in his hometown of Las Vegas. And that may happen, but as I wrote last week, unless there’s a team willing to bid against themselves, Harper and agent Scott Boras will have to come down quite a bit from their reported desire for a 13 or 14-year contract.
Last year, Jake Arrieta, a Boras client, ultimately came down from his desire for a six or seven-year deal, but it took until Spring Training for Arrieta to reach a three-year/$75 million contract with the Phillies. Despite it always being clear that J.D. Martinez would ultimately land with the Red Sox last offseason, it took until Feb. 26 for Martinez to sign a five-year/$110 million deal. While Arrieta’s deal features two club options after the guaranteed first three years, Martinez can opt-out and become a free-agent after 2019. He can do the same thing after 2020. And 2021. So even when Boras clients don’t get their best-case scenario contracts, they still tend to be taken care of quite a bit.
Even once Harper and Boras are likely talked down to a deal around 10 years – assuming that happens and a team like the Phillies doesn’t get desperate enough to issue a 13-year deal – there will be a lot to sort through. There’s a good chance Harper will be given some sort of a no-trade clause, perhaps a full one. Harper’s next contract will almost certainly include an opt-out in his early 30s, like the one Alex Rodriguez, another Boras client, had that allowed him to opt-out after an MVP season at age-31. That may not be the only opt-out included in what is likely to be a complicated pact.
So yes, it would be a storybook ending for Harper to sign one of the largest contracts in sports history in his hometown. Although, Harper is only 26, so a desire to get the best deal now, while insuring he has a chance to sign another megadeal down the road, could outweigh a cool narrative, dragging the Harper sweepstakes into 2019.
2. Manny Machado’s Postseason Antics Appear to Have Cost Him
If you need an idea of how different playing in Baltimore and Los Angeles are, here’s a fun exercise: ask yourself how many times Manny Machado made national headlines for a negative reason during his six-and-a-half seasons in Baltimore. It’s hard to think of one occasion that happened, despite Machado helping the Orioles to reach the postseason three times and making four All-Star Game appearances. Then ask yourself how many times Machado made national headlines for a negative reason during his three-and-half months with the Dodgers. You would probably need two hands.
As Machado told The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal during his now-infamous “Johnny Hustle” interview: “I’m in The Show for seven years, I’ve done the same thing for seven years, I’ve been the same player.” What changed was that he was traded to one of the sport’s most historically relevant franchises just months before one of the most anticipated free-agent classes in baseball history came to be. And despite helping the Dodgers to reach their second consecutive World Series, it appears that Machado may have cost himself some serious money.
On the latest At The Yard Podcast, NBC Sports Philadelphia‘s Jim Salisbury said this to Corey Seidman on the Phillies interest in Machado: “If you had asked me that question on Oct. 1, ‘Who will the Phillies prioritize, Manny Machado or Bryce Harper?,’ I think I would have said Machado. I see him as being a really good baseball fit for the Phillies, because he can play third base and shortstop, two really important positions and two positions where the Phillies have needs. But yeah, the month of October did not go well for him – it included a comment about not hustling and not being ‘Johnny Hustle.’ It was noticed at Citizens Bank Park – it was noticed all over baseball. And spending a few days at the general manager’s meetings, everybody noticed it, it was a really big thing to talk about out here. And I think it has affected a lot of teams thinking about Manny and at least complicated teams’ decision-making process – including the Phillies. Now, a month later, I think Harper has moved ahead of him on the Phillies list of priorities.”
Salisbury did note that he believes Machado’s talent could still allow him to thrive in Philadelphia, but also added this: “I think the Phillies are still open-minded on Machado, but in the back of their minds, they still hear that comment. It’s hard not to. So I think they’re probably more lukewarm on him. Let’s say their interest was at a boiling level maybe a month ago, it’s back down to lukewarm.”
That is certainly telling. Prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Phillies weren’t willing to include Sixto Sanchez in any trade for Machado. They were even hesitant on some of their young pitching at the major league level, such as Zach Eflin. But MLB.com‘s Jon Morosi did note that the Phillies were willing to part with RHP Adonis Medina, their No. 2 overall pitching prospect, for Machado. While such a trade would have only guaranteed them a few months with Machado, they likely would have been auditioning to retain his services past 2018. The Phillies, of course, didn’t acquire Machado, and despite a slew of transactions in July and August, limped to the finish line, going 27-40 after the All-Star Break. Machado, meanwhile, auditioned for the Phillies (and other potential suitors) in Los Angeles, and despite the finest offensive season of his career, he became a public relations nightmare in the postseason.
MORE FROM PHILLIES NATION
- Phillies Nuggets: 13 Years Is A Lot…For Any Potential Free-Agent
- With Chase Utley’s Career Concluded, His Hall Of Fame Case Comes Into Focus
- Could Scott Kingery Play Shortstop In 2019? The Phillies Seem To Think So
- Kingery, Franco, Alfaro And The Delicate Balance Between Potential And Performance
- Matt Klentak Says Phillies Got What They Hoped For From Carlos Santana
- Chase Utley: I Think There Are A Lot Of Benefits To Analytics
- Phillies Reportedly Likely To Check In On J.T. Realmuto This Offseason
- Phillies Nation Mailbag: Who Will Be The Next Phillies-Connected Person To Be A Manager?
- Phillies Nation Mailbag: What Will The Bullpen Look Like In 2019?
- Phillies Nation Mailbag: Would A Trade For Zack Greinke Make Sense?
Latest Comments