For fans tracking Machado and Harper, fatigue or intrigue?

By Steve Melewski

Orioles

January 15, 2019, 2:29pm

Comments

So when will teams start spending the "stupid" money? When will the saga of free agents Manny Machado and Bryce Harper come to an end? Where will they end up and could the Chicago White Sox actually wind up with Machado?

So far, the free agency of the dynamic duo is not living up the hype. And this has been hyped for literally years. Hype that said they could both get north of $300 million and maybe even more than $400 million. Hype that said both could have numerous suitors among the big spenders. But where are they? Where are the Yankees? Where are the Dodgers?

I ask a lot of questions, true.

There was a time when we heard that not only were the Yankees setting themselves up specifically for this winter, but that they could sign both players. That possibility is still out there, of course, but the stronger possibility seems to be they won't sign either. I know, they are the Yankees and until those two are playing elsewhere we should never count out the Yankees. But George M. Steinbrenner surely would have emerged with one of these stars in his day by now.

Has the luxury tax had that much of an impact on the sport? One where the Yankees and Dodgers are not in the lead for either of these stars?

Are the Phillies really the only team in on both players, even though they are not likely to sign both? The Phillies are said to prefer Machado for the offense-defense combo. But wouldn't getting Harper have a greater impact on the balance of power in the National League East? You take a top talent away from a direct competitor.

Meanwhile, down Interstate 95, the Nationals are still in the hunt for Harper - at the same time they're said to be pondering a contract extension for third baseman Anthony Rendon, an underrated talent.

Over the last three years, Harper has a slash line of .267/.391/.505 and an OPS of .897. Rendon is at .292/.374/.504 with an OPS of .879. The production is very similar, and in this span, Rendon has 277 RBIs and Harper has 273. According to Baseball-reference.com Wins Above Replacement, Rendon's combined WAR for 2016-2018 is 14.1 and Harper's is just 7.5. Harper surely loses some ground here for defense and Rendon brings both solid offense and defense.

Can the Nats afford both players long term? Should they just sign Rendon to a long-term deal, one that may come in at about half the price compared to Harper?

Yep, more questions.

Orioles fans, I sense, are less onery about where Machado ends up, although a late switch bringing the Yankees back into play could change that. The biggest angst over Machado probably came in the last year or two when it became apparent the club's efforts at one-time to make a run at signing Machado long-term, would not work out. Manny was going to have to go via a trade. It was the best play for the franchise and it happened in July.

For me, I still find the Machado and Harper free agency fascinating, and am eager to see how this all ends. At the same time, some fans have Machado-Harper fatigue, no doubt. They are tired of hearing the reports and just want this to be over.

On MLB Network last night, they were talking about the Phillies possibly getting ready to unload some big dollars.