MLB Rumors: Manny Machado Admirers Dwindling? Bryce Harper Focus For Phillies, Padres

The Bryce Harper and Manny Machado sweepstakes continue with no end in sight at the moment with both the in-demand free agents yet to indicate where they will end up next season. Spring training is just weeks away but there seems to be no hurry for either player to make a commitment until their demands are met by interested teams.

Harper and Machado are looking for long-term deals north of $300 million, but at the moment no team has reportedly come forward with an offer that is too good to refuse. The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the teams interested in both the players, but there is no confirmation about a concrete offer made to either player.

The Chicago White Sox and the San Diego Padres are the other two teams in the race for both players, while the Washington Nationals are keen to re-sign Harper, while the New York Yankees are outsiders in the race for Machado.

The Phillies have met with both players, Machado in December and Harper more recently in January. They were initially said to be more focused toward landing Machado, but are now said to have tilted toward Harper.

Phillies general manager Matt Kletak recently revealed they were happy with the proposals made to both players and were actively speaking to their representatives to ensure they do not get left behind in the race.

The Philadelphia franchise is probably the only team that can afford to sign both the players this offseason, but Matt Klentak revealed that while it is not impossible, it is unlikely they will sign both as it would benefit them in the long run.

“I feel very confident that we’ve put a very strong foot forward, both with our presentations to these guys and the way we’ve welcomed them to Philly or told them about the franchise when we went out to see Harper,” Klentak said Wednesday on "97.5 The Fanatic" in Philadelphia, as transcribed by the New York Post. “I feel really good about that, the pitches that we’ve made.”

“Is it impossible? No. I think it’s very unlikely,” Klentak explained. “I’ve kind of said that on the record or off the record most of the offseason. It’s not about wanting a player or not wanting a player. It’s about managing payrolls and the franchise to have opportunities to improve the club in future years. … I just don’t know if that’s the prudent course of action for us. It’s not because we’re cheap or we don’t like the players, it’s about the dynamics of roster building.”

However, despite them being unlikely to sign both the players, according to Fancred’s Jon Heyman, the Phillies remain extremely confident they will certainly sign one of Harper or Machado this summer. The saga could well progress past the spring training and into March.

Meanwhile, the Padres, who were late entrants into the race were initially said to be only pursuing Machado, but after their meeting with Harper and his representative on Saturday, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that they see the right-fielder as a prospect not only on the field but for business and marketing purposes off it.

But the question remains if they have the spending power to match the Phillies, whose owner John Middleton has made it clear that they could be willing to spend a "stupid amount" of money in order to land their preferred targets this offseason.