The Philadelphia Phillies were quite the surprise team in 2018, finishing 80-82, good enough for 3rd in a dreadful NL East, although some knew that they were just a few pieces away from once again being contenders due to their collection of talent from young guys like Rhys Hoskins, Aaron Nola and Odubel Herrera to veterans like Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana. According to Corey Siedman’s of NBC Sports Philadelphia breakdown of the Phillies’ expected 2019 payroll, the Phillies seem to have money to spend this offseason, so they have a chance to make a big splash by signing one of big names on the free agent board. The two biggest names on the board, of course, are Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Either would immediately put the Phillies in the playoff conversation for arguably the next decade. But which superstar seems to be the better fit for the City of Brotherly Love?
Let’s start with Bryce Harper. Rhys Hoskins is the Phillies best player right now and he is playing completely out of position. Hoskins is a natural first baseman who was thrown into left field just so they could keep his bat in the lineup as Carlos Santana has no other position to play but first base. The Phillies are hoping to shop Carlos Santana this offseason, which will presumably shift Hoskins to his natural position and opens up a spot in the outfield. Heading into 2019, their best outfield options are Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams and Aaron Altherr. Herrera slightly underperformed in 2018. He did hit career highs in HRs and RBIs, but only batted .255 with a .310 OBP, both of which are career lows. Although a somewhat disappointing year, Herrera is set to man that CF spot through 2023. Neither Altherr or Williams performed well enough to earn an everyday job for Gabe Kapler’s squad in 2018. Williams appeared in 95 games in RF, starting 89, while Altherr appeared in just 68 games, starting 45. That’s quite of lot of playing time between these two. Williams did have the overall better year, batting .258 with a .324 OBP and a respectable 17 home runs. Altherr was a disappointment, batting just .181 with a .295 OBP and an OPS+ of 69. Based on these numbers, the outfield is a cause for concern with Philadelphia and an upgrade here is greatly needed. Now, just think about Harper’s rocket of an arm and smooth left-handed power swing in Citizens Bank to compliment the right-handed power bat of Hoskins, both guys with 40 HR potential. It almost seems like a perfect match.
What if Manny Machado wants to hustle on over to Philadelphia? Not too long ago, many felt that J.P. Crawford was the future of Phillies baseball. Due to his high praise, the Phillies traded away SS Freddy Galvis to make room for Crawford to take the everyday job. Once seen as the 2nd best prospect in all of baseball, Crawford has underperformed in his first two seasons. Although only appearing in 72 games between 2017 and 2018, he has just a .214 average and a .319 OBP, very below his expected value. He did sustain some injuries and spent some time on the DL in ‘18, so maybe there is still time to see how Crawford turns out. But a guy like Manny Machado, a 26-year-old All Star SS/3B does not hit the open market very often. Machado could take over the everyday SS role in Philly. This could round out the infield with Rhys Hoskins at 1B, assuming they can trade Santana, Cesar Hernandez at 2B and Maikel Franco at 3B with a Scott Kingery available off the bench to fill in at multiple positions. Machado would be a strong addition to the Phillies, bringing the ability to hit for average and power, the ability to get on base, and a level of Gold Glove caliber defense to Philly that could help them get back to postseason glory.
So, there you have it. Both Harper and Machado would instantly make the Phillies a contender again. The addition of either one of these paired with their already young and hungry roster would be a dangerous combination for the NL East for years to come. So, who do you think is the better fit?
