Until they inevitably sign contracts that will be worth four times as much as the world's GDP, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will continue to suck all the oxygen out of the baseball universe.
By virtue of being a prime suitor for either of the free-agent megastars, the Phillies will remain a central character in the ongoing Harper and Machado dramas. There will be meetings and negotiations, offers and counters, twists, turns, and probably a mystery team or two.
And it might take a while before everything is resolved.
That's what makes this offseason so tricky for the Phillies — and general manager Matt Klentak, in particular.