The Philadelphia Phillies have already been active this offseason, what with their additions of Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura and David Robertson, and they of course still have room in the budget for one or both of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Given the Phillies' healthy resources and flexible budget, they can afford to do all of that.
But should Phillies rooters despair if they land only one of the two generational free agents? No because the Phillies might be playing a particularly tantalizing version of the long game. Here's the scoop from Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated:
Philadelphia began this offseason keeping Trout in mind. According to a baseball source with direct knowledge of their shopping plans, the Phillies have enough spending money to sign both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, but would like to sign just one of them to leave room in the budget in case Trout reaches free agency in two years. In one dream scenario, the Phillies would field an all-MVP outfield in 2021: Trout, Harper and Andrew McCutchen.
"Trout" would of course be Angels superstar Mike Trout, who enters the 2019 season with a pair of MVP awards, a career OPS+ of 175, and a whopping 64.3 WAR across parts of eight big-league seasons. He's under contract with the Halos through the 2020 season, and barring a second big extension (not likely, according to one report) he'll hit the market in time for his age-29 campaign. That's where the Phillies come in.
Yes, it's a fit not only in terms of the Phillies' budget and likely competitive window, but it's also a match in terms of roots and geography. Trout, as Verducci points out, is a native of Millville, N.J -- which is fewer than 50 miles from Philly -- and he still makes his home there. As well, Trout is a huge fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, so some civic loyalties are in place.
To be sure, much can happen over the span of two full seasons -- i.e., when Trout would first hit the market -- and banking a team and a player matching up this far out is quite foolish. As noted, Trout could sign an extension in Anaheim. Or the Phillies' priorities could change. Or Trout -- as unthinkable as this seems -- could suffer premature decline. That said, Verducci reports that the Phillies are already structuring their decision-making around the possibility of inking Trout. As for the specific hypothetical pairings, the Phillies may prefer Machado over Harper, but it's a fluid situation. Either, suffice it to say, would look good in front of or behind Trout in the lineup.
In other words, if Phillies fans are tantalizing by the winter of 2018-19, just wait until 2020-21 rolls around.