Phillies Rumors: Buzz About Bryce Harper and Manny Machado

Saturday marked the end of the exclusive five-day window that players have to re-sign with their teams after declaring free agency.  Not one free agent signed in MLB, but the Phillies and the other 29 teams may start talking to representatives from all free agents.  There have been few concrete trade rumors yet, but there is a good mount of buzz surrounding the Phillies and free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.

Here is a look at some of it.

Many are predicting the Phillies will end up with both Harper AND Machado, including Mike Axisa of CBS Sports.  Axisa writes:

How often does a bona fide superstar become available in his mid-20s for nothing but cash? How often do two players like that become available at the same time? Basically never. The Phillies have money to spend and there is no better way to spend it than on Harper and Machado. I'm thinking matching 12-year, $375 million contracts with multiple opt-out clauses and a dual introductory press conference.

Imagine that.  The Phillies could do that and have resources left to acquire other players, in trade or free agency.

Former Reds and Nationals general manager Jim Bowden sees the Phillies as the best fits for both Harper and Machado in his latest piece in the Athletic.  Bowden also sees outfielder A.J. Pollock as having his best fit on the Phillies.

Ben Reiter of SI.com released his top 50 free agent predictions.  Reiter has the Phillies as the "best fit" for Machado.  Reiter has Harper fitting better with the Yankees, even though they have Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge in the outfield. Reiter also suggests that David Robertson could be a good fit with the Phillies

However, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that he does not expect the Yankees to add either Harper or Machado.

Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic remarks that there will be a "parade of angry fans down Broad Street" should the Phillies fail to land Harper, Machado, or free agent lefty Patrick Corbin.  Rosenthal says the Phillies will be "a major player" in Corbin, as well.  The left-handed Corbin is a two-time All-Star who would give the Phillies a regularly left-handed pitcher for the first time since Adam Morgan was in the starting rotation.

For what it's worth: Harper has followed Phillies first baseman and outfielder Rhys Hoskins and Sixers star Joel Embiid on Instagram.