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Phillies Rumors: Manny Machado Connection Only Growing Stronger

By John Town

Feb 17, 2017; Sarasota, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles infielder Manny Machado (13) takes infield practice during the spring training workout at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 17, 2017; Sarasota, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles infielder Manny Machado (13) takes infield practice during the spring training workout at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Phillies are more than ready to spend big in the 2018-2019 free agency period, and Manny Machado is considered a viable option for the team.

When the Phillies declined their 2017 option for Ryan Howard, they shed a financial burden that had plagued them since former general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. signed the monster deal in 2011. They have no long-term financial commitments outside of Odubel Herrera‘s recent extension, and they are expected to spend big when the time is right.

Team president Andy MacPhail said as much in a recent press conference:

"“My experience has been that you can find the hitters. Particularly in our ballpark. And we have resources. When you have to sign pitchers through free agency, they’re fragile, they’re expensive. There’s times when you’re going to have to do it, but the more you can avoid it, the more you should. To me, it’s about pitching.”"

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One hitter the team may pursue is Orioles third baseman Manny Machado. Since his first full major-league season in 2013, Machado has the sixth-most fWAR (21.7) of all major-league hitters. In his career, Machado has a .284/.333/.477 line with 105 home runs, 72 of which came in the last two seasons.

In 2016, Machado finished with a .876 OPS (128 OPS+), 37 home runs, and 96 RBI.

He was an excellent defender, accumulating the sixth-most defensive WAR (2.3) in the AL. Machado finished fourth in MVP voting and appeared in the All-Star Game for the third time in his career.

Joe Giglio of NJ.com pointed out that MacPhail and general manager Matt Klentak drafted Machado while they were in Baltimore’s front office. Giglio said “the pick set Baltimore up to become one of baseball’s best teams over the last five years.”

In just his first few seasons Machado has been very valuable for the Orioles. Over his major-league career, Machado has been worth $177.7M according to Fangraphs. The last two seasons Machado has racked up more than $50M in value.

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Philadelphia may be one of the only teams that can sign Machado as he will likely command a high price on the open market. Machado could very well bring in a $350M or even $400M contract and few teams have that kind of money available to spend on just one player. Machado has not discussed an extension with Baltimore yet and they may not be able to afford what could be a very high salary for Machado.

However, the Phillies may already have their young star at third base in the form of Maikel Franco. Before Machado can ever be considered a possibility, Franco has to show whether or not he is the player expected to anchor the middle of the lineup for years to come.

TBOH’s own George Stockburger wrote during the offseason:

"“Some fear Franco won’t turn into the 40 home run monster cemented into the four-hole of the Phillies lineup for the next 10 years. With his first year of arbitration approaching at the end of this season, Franco needs to put up or shut up.“If Franco can not develop a more advanced hitting approach by the time his arbitration seasons begin to kick-in, the Phillies could decide to either trade or (while unlikely) not tender Franco.”"

Next: Prospect-Laden Lineup Set for Tampa Exhibition Game

Until Franco can prove that he is the hitter we all hope he can be, the Machado-Phillies connection will remain present.

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