Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals tosses his helmet after striking out to end the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in game two of the doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park on September 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

For much of the MLB offseason, it’s been thought that the Philadelphia Phillies prefer Manny Machado to Bryce Harper. That might no longer be the case, and it could ultimately determine where baseball’s two best free agents end up.

Philadelphia is expected to enter the 2019 season with one of the available superstars on their roster. If the latest report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is true, the Phillies are the overwhelming favorites to sign Harper. That could mean Machado is headed to the Chicago White Sox, who are the only other known team that’s aggressively pursuing the infielder.

The Phillies, White Sox and New York Yankees have been in a three-team race for Machado after meeting with the four-time All-Star in December. New York might no longer be in contention to sign the 26-year-old after acquiring both shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and second baseman DJ LeMahieu.

Philadelphia, Chicago and the Washington Nationals are all contenders to sign Harper with the Los Angeles Dodgers being a distant fourth. The White Sox haven’t made a formal offer to the outfielder. The Nationals had been given as good of a chance as anyone to sign Harper after reportedly offering him a 10-year, $300 million contract. According to Nightengale, Washington is prepared to move on from Harper with Philadelphia likely to make him a monster offer.

Landing Harper would likely mean surpassing Giancarlo Stanton’s record-setting deal of $325 million. Philadelphia could give him a 10-year-contract that pays him somewhere between $32.5 million and $35 million per season.

Machado is reportedly seeking a deal in excess of $300 million. There are conflicting reports regarding what Chicago has offered the infielder. While Nightengale has said the White Sox proposed a seven-year contract worth around $200 million, other reports indicate Chicago is willing to commit eight years to Machado for maybe $250 million.

It doesn’t sound like the Yankees have been willing to approach $200 million for Machado.

With their willingness to spend “stupid” money, Philadelphia could outbid Chicago for Machado by a large margin. There has been speculation that the Phillies might try to sign both Machado and Harper, though that appears to be a long shot.

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