Phillies could push for other big free agents outside of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado

With Philadelphia Phillies rumors continuing to heat up in regards to free agency, it looks like the team could consider other big targets outside of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado as well.

Before baseball fans know it, free agency will start to get wild, as the Philadelphia Phillies are expected to be one of the top teams to keep an eye on when looking at all of the money they have to spend.

For months, the Phillies have been linked to big-name players like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado due to the fact that unlike most teams in baseball, they can actually afford to reward these stars with the ridiculous contracts they seek.

Of course, just because Philadelphia has the money to spend doesn’t necessarily mean they’re guaranteed to land one of these stars since a few other teams will be pursuing Harper and Machado as well.

Not to mention, the Phillies also have to prove to each star they’re going to have what it takes to be a true contender in 2019, which is why the team may be aggressive before going after Harper or Machado, as Jon Morosi pointed out on Monday.

Similar to the situation surrounding Harper and Machado, Philadelphia is well aware that signing other big-name free agents like Patrick Corbin, Nathan Eovaldi, and Craig Kimbrel won’t be easy since plenty of other teams will be pushing hard to sign them as well.

However, by convincing one of these elite pitchers to come on board, this may give the Phillies a better chance of competing with other teams looking to sign Harper or Machado since this will show they do in fact have a better chance at being competitive in 2019.

Despite 2011 being the last season in which they finished with a record above .500, keep in mind that Philadelphia was in the hunt for a playoff spot along with the NL East title back at the beginning of August before it all fell apart.

With this in mind, there’s every reason to believe the Phillies with a few key additions could very well make the leap to becoming a legitimate contender in the National League during the 2019 season.

As for whether this means Harper, Machado, or anyone of the other big free agents mentioned by Morosi will be part of the mix, only time will tell in Philadelphia. But at least with money to spend, the Phillies have to love their chances.