St. LOUIS -- Phillies owner John Middleton flew cross-country for face-to-face meetings to chase the player he wanted, and then committed $330 million in lure Bryce Harper in his effort to make the Phillies relevant in October again. You can safely say Middleton's team will be a highly motivated buyer before the July 31 trade deadline.
The Indians will work from a very different place, in measured pursuit of an October playoff berth. They've made the postseason each of the last three years, and as of this morning, they're nine games out of first place in the AL Central, a longshot to catch the Minnesota Twins -- and through the second half, Cleveland will have to manage some pressing roster and budget issues.