December 22, 2018
The Phillies might be in a little trouble.
On Friday, it was first reported that Manny Machado, following his visits with the Phillies, White Sox and Yankees, has informed those close to him that his preferred landing spot remains in New York, assuming the offers are similar. Clearly, that's an indication that if the Phillies hope to have any chance at landing the star shortstop, they're going to need to get stupid with that money.
The good news here is that Machado also is expected to wait until 2019 to make his decision, meaning the Phillies still have time to fill up a Brinks truck and drive it to Machado's house in Miami.
Just a few hours later, it got worse, as news came down of a blockbuster trade between the Dodgers and Reds, one that sent Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood to Cincinnati and freed up not only room in the Dodgers outfield, but also plenty of salary space to make an even bigger splash at another point this winter.
with big savings for 2019, dodgers can take closer look at big tickets like Corey Kluber/Trevor Bauer (if Tribe does trade 1 of them) and yes, possibly Bryce Harper. JT Realmuto is another star they've been talking about.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 21, 2018
Clearly, this move by the Dodgers seems like a salary dump in order to sign Bryce Harper — and possibly others — this offseason. And that's terrible news for the Phillies, who vowed to spend like crazy this offseason but have just Andrew McCutchen — and a Jean Segura trade — to show for it.
If the Phillies do make a big move in the interim, we'll have you covered just like we do every day, with a look at the latest MLB free agency news and trade rumors.
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