You guys are all nuts. Iād sign both Harper and Machado if I could, and I think the Phils would too, though itās unlikely.
First, the payroll have previously been as high as about $178m, and that was 4 years ago. The tax threshold is $206m next year, and Iām confident Middleton would spend up to that amount to field a championship contender. That means, assuming a functioning farm system, youād expect the team to be filled out for about $60m-ish beyond the expensive stars (this yearās full payroll is $95m, of which Santana and Arietta are $50m). That leaves approx $145m for the superstars. Assuming you pay Nola like that, that means there are still 3 to 5 big money spots you can utilize and stay under the tax.
Second, everyone is complaining how erratic Harper is. In his supposedly terrible year, he still has an .880 OPS/132 OPS+. Last year, Machado had for the full season .774 OPS/107OPS+. Why is Harper erratic but Manny is reliable? As for ānot liking himā, youāll like him when heās mashing homers, and in any event who cares? You think Arietta is a nice guy or good teammate? I donāt, but so what?
Third, Arrieta and Santana will be gone before the big money kicks in for Nola and anyone else on the team that is worth it. Cesar will leave as a FA and be replaced by Kingery or someone else inexpensive. Odubel is cheap for a while, as are Williams and Hoskins and Pivetta/Eflin/Seranthony etc.
