Philadelphia Phillies fans seem hopeful for Manny Machado following successful visit

Manny Machado met with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday as the free agent continues to explore his options for the 2019 season.

For weeks, Philadelphia Phillies fans have been trying to be patient over the idea of Manny Machado coming on board, although that’s always easier said than done since teams like the New York Yankees are pushing just as hard.

Between acquiring Jean Segura in a trade along with signing Andrew McCutchen, the Phillies have kept themselves quite busy over the last couple of weeks to give them a better chance of competing in 2019.

However, if they were able to land a power hitter like Machado, it would take expectations in Philadelphia to a whole new level.

Despite all of the years of rebuilding with a younger team, Phillies fans knew the 2019 season had the potential to be big when looking at their chances of signing a big-name player like Machado or Bryce Harper.

Unlike most teams, Philadelphia has the money to convince someone like Machado or Harper to come on board since one can only imagine how ridiculous their next contract will actually be.

On Thursday, Machado made his official visit with the Phillies, and even though he left without a deal, just hearing the free agent describe the trip as “pretty awesome” has some Philadelphia fans trying to hold back their excitement.

As great as it’s been to watch players like Rhys Hoskins step up over the last two years, it’s been no secret just how desperate the Phillies have been for a power hitter like Machado. And even though the addition of Machado wouldn’t solve all the issues surround this team, it would certainly help Philadelphia take a major leap in the right direction.

Only time will tell when it comes to seeing whether Machado ends up joining the Phillies, but at least there seems to be more hope following Thursday’s meeting between the two parties. Watching Philadelphia collapse over the final two months of the 2018 season to miss out on the playoffs made it clear this team was a work in progress, but also shows the potential, which Machado knows.

Without question, the addition of someone like Machado on top of the other moves already made by the Phillies would put the team in much better position to seriously compete for years to come, so here’s to hoping this finds a way of working out for the best in Philadelphia.