Manny Machado has finally found a new home, and he's agreed to one of baseball's richest contracts in doing so. His fellow prized free agent, though, has an even bigger contract waiting for him.
That's according to former MLB general manager Jim Bowden, who joined CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday to report on the fallout of Machado's reported $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres. Following up on previous indications that Bryce Harper, the former Washington Nationals star, might be nearing his own contract with the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies, Bowden said that Machado's move to San Diego was all but precipitated by the Phils' interest in Harper.
"Look, the Phillies were in on Manny Machado," he said. "They wanted either Harper or Machado. But Machado went to San Diego and he realized Philadelphia wasn't going to happen because they're going down the road here with Harper."
As he anticipates the next big free-agent domino to fall in Philly, Bowden said Harper's contract will best Machado's and end up as the biggest in baseball history -- even greater than the Miami Marlins' deal of 2014.
"When Harper's deal is all said and done," he said, "it will be north of Manny Machado's 10-year, $300 million deal. It will be north of Giancarlo Stanton's $325 million deal."
