Today is the 63rd day of 2018-19 MLB free agency, and it was also the 63rd day in which the Phillies did not announce a deal with either Manny Machado or Bryce Harper. There was a time when signing both of them felt like a real possibility. Now, it feels far more likely they will sign neither.
If they were to do so, the Phillies would instantly become Manny Machado’s or Bryce Harper’s Team; defined by this single move. The 2019 baseball season is going to arrive as inevitably as 2019 will tonight, and the Phillies will have to play whether they sign a superstar or not.