It’s time to let the dream die.
Over the past few days, there’s been a growing sense that the Phillies would prefer to sign Bryce Harper over Manny Machado in hopes of eventually pairing him with Mike Trout. The idea of a Harper-Trout outfield is enough to have me drowning in my own drool, but logistically, it’s pretty stupid.
Trout is the white whale of Philadelphia sports. Phillies fans have been desperately trying to scheme a way to get Trout in red pin stripes ever since he mad his first appearance at an Eagles game. He would be the ultimate free agent signing, both because of his all-time great skill and his roots, but is it really even worth it?
The Phillies find themselves in very rare territory this offseason. This free agent class has two of the biggest names to ever hit the open market and, for some reason, hardly anyone has shown any interest. The Phillies control the market so much so that it’s basically a forgone conclusion they are going to sign at least one superstar. As of right now, all signs point to the Phillies signing Harper, but if the team intends on making a run at a second super star like Trout, why not sign Machado instead?
Machado is 26 years old, has already finished in the top five of MVP voting twice, and is coming off his first trip to the World Series; although, many would point to his performance as a negative. All of baseball should be blowing down the door for this guy, but instead, this has turned into a two team race between the White Sox and the Phillies, with the Yankees patiently waiting in the wings. The fact the Phillies are ready to move on from Machado – when the largest known contract offer he’s received is a little over half of what he was expecting – is insane to me.
Trout will be 29 when he finally hits free agency, if he ever does. Not only will the Phillies be competing with baseball’s richest franchises to get him, they will also be competing with themselves in a sense. Whatever contract Harper signs is going to lay the group work for Trout’s eventual mega deal and I would be amazed if he took a hometown discount. There are too many unknowns to factor into the Trout sweepstakes for me to feel confident about the Phillies chances of getting him.
Machado might not be as good as Trout – very few have been in the history of the game – but he’s a legit triple crown threat, he would fill a huge need at third base, he can be signed on a cheaper deal and longer into his prime, and, most importantly, hardly anyone is showing interest. It would be a dream come true to see Trout ripping dingers in Citizens Bank Park, but this is a situation the Phillies shouldn’t over think.
Sign Harper and Machado. Let them play out their primes in pin stripes. Win multiple World Series trophies. Feel bad that Trout will never win one.
Snowballs & Batteries 