This is the quiet time in baseball. In a sport that has become a 52-week-a-year endeavor, this is the one time when many offices go dark and executives try to play catchup with rest and family.
Still, cellphones might be muted, but not turned off — at least not for substantial stretches. Thus, a few players and teams who want to resolve issues before 2018 turns to 2019 could make news this week.
But Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are almost certainly January decisions — perhaps later than that for Harper.
Anticipation for this particular free-agent phase has been years in the making due to belief it could be the best crop ever.