“There’s been some speculation about what we’re going to do [this offseason], where I find it to be that someone just didn’t put a paper and pencil together and do the math,” Phillies president Andy MacPhail said at his season-ending press conference. A sentence before that, MacPhail acknowledged that the Phillies likely will approach the top five payroll that they had at the beginning of this decade. But MacPhail’s quote was largely interpreted as pouring cold water on speculation around the league that the Phillies will attempt to land both Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Los Angeles shortstop/third baseman Manny Machado this offseason.
Those close to the Phillies reportedly think signing Machado and Harper is unlikely
