Where will Machado and Harper sign?!

The NFL Playoffs have reached the championship stage with the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs facing off for a chance to take on the winner of LA Rams vs New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl. If that isn’t interesting enough, the NBA is approaching the All-Star break as the Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors and others are going at it night after night in hopes that they can raise the Larry O'Brien Trophy come June. Life is great for sports fans.

But with all the action happening on the court and on the field, it’s what’s happening off the field that I find myself following almost religiously. Will Bryce Harper and Manny Machado pick a dang team already?!

I’m sure that I am in the minority when it comes to fans who care more about where Harper and Machado will sign than how many point Steph Curry put up against the Nuggets or who is going to win the NFL MVP Award. Yet here I am, checking Twitter and ESPN.com every morning for the latest on the two MLB superstars, waiting, and waiting and waiting. It’s gotten to the point where I am getting tired of waiting, but wait I will. But as I’ve been waiting I’ve also done some thinking about where Harper and Machado should sign and so I’ve decided to share those thoughts with all of you.

Why Harper and Machado should, and why they shouldn’t sign with each team they have been linked to.

Bryce Harper

Nationals

Why Harper should sign with the Nationals:

The answer is simple, not only will Harper be making more money over a longer period of time, if the reports of Washington offering Harper a 10-year deal are accurate, but Washington is home away from home for Harper. It’s where the outfielder and former MVP has spent all seven of his pro seasons.

Not only is Washington home to Harper but the Nationals are poised to be competitors for years to come. The Nationals’ roster is uniquely built, boasting one of the best pitching rotations in the Major Leagues as well as a plethora of young talent. The Nationals pitching rotation already boasted two of the top pitchers in baseball in Max Scherzer and Stephen Strausberg before adding Patrick Corbin to a 6-year, $140 million dollar deal this offseason. On top of premier pitching, the Nationals have loads of young talent. Juan Soto is a growing name among more casual baseball fans after a tremendous 2018 campaign. Additionally, the Nationals have had Victor Robles, one of baseball’s top prospects, rise amongst the ranks in Washington’s farm system.

If Harper does decide to join the Nationals not only would he be a National for life, but he would be resigning to a team that is poised to be good for the foreseeable future. The Nationals should be a good team with or without Harper but adding the former MVP only turns Washington from a good team into a championship caliber one.

Why Harper wouldn’t sign with the Nationals:

Despite Harper’s efforts, the Nationals have failed to win in the playoffs since his arrival. After talking about how the Nationals are a good team and should be contenders should Harper resign, it’s important to note that Washington has not experienced the same level of success in the playoffs as they have in the regular season. In fact, the Nationals have failed to advance past the Divisional Round of the MLB Playoffs.

The one asterisk is that most of the young talent on this Washington team was not around during previous playoff appearances. If Harper rejoins this Nationals team he would be committed to Washington throughout the prime years of the careers of Soto and Robles.

Dodgers

Why Harper should sign with the Dodgers:

Simple. Los Angeles is the closest Harper can get to his actual hometown of Las Vegas. As of now there is no pro baseball team in the Las Vegas area making Los Angeles, a mere 272 miles away, the closest MLB team to sin city. It’s well documented by now how much Harper loves his hometown of Vegas, made apparent by his support of the Vegas Golden Knights instead of the Washington Capitals, who share a fan base with the Nationals, in the Stanley Cup last season. Sunny LA and Dodger Stadium is 2,137 miles closer to Las Vegas than Nationals Park and Washington DC, making the Dodgers the perfect fit for Harper if he wants to be closer to the place where he calls home.

Why Harper wouldn’t sign with the Dodgers:

Harper is a superstar in Washington DC and other than John Wall and Alexander Ovechkin there really isn’t anybody that competes in terms of stardom in the DC sports area. If Harper decides to sign with the Dodgers, he would suddenly find himself a small fish in a big pond. Not only would Harper have to compete with the likes of Lebron James, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Todd Gurley, Jared Goff and Mike Trout when it came to athletic stardom in the city of angels, but Harper wouldn’t even be the most famous Dodger. That title would go to team owner Magic Johnson.

So it’s simple, go to LA and live in paradise, a short drive away from Vegas and be ‘just another guy,’ or go to a different city and a different team and be the man, a hero for an entire sports market. Harper, of course, would have to make that decision on personal preferences.

Phillies

Why Harper would sign with the Phillies:

How does this sound for a long term plan? Sign Bryce Harper to a big deal this offseason, weeks after signing All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Then, wait two seasons and sign hometown kid Mike Trout. The possibility of an outfield in Philly comprised of McCutchen, Harper and Trout isn’t a far-fetched idea and in fact, is a real possibility. The Phillies have already signed McCutchen and the chances that Trout would join the club in 2021 are high, considering that Trout grew up near Philadelphia and is an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan. That leaves Harper to decide whether the chance to join forces with a proven talent like McCutchen and arguably the best player in Mike Trout would be worth sacrificing some of the stardom.

Why Harper wouldn’t sign with the Phillies:

If Harper were to sign with Philadelphia only to be joined two seasons later by Trout, Harper would suddenly become second-fiddle on a team he had already been with for multiple seasons. That alone could be enough to make Harper weary of the idea. Additionally, the rumor has been floated around that Harper doesn’t care for Philadelphia or its fans. Per Joel Sherman, Harper allegedly doesn’t particularly like playing in the city of brotherly love.

Now, you could make that out to mean different things. Either A) Harper just doesn’t care for philly cheese steaks and really old, broken bells, or B) Harper didn't enjoy playing in front of Phillie fans. Honestly, it was probably the latter. But let’s be honest here, what professional athlete particularly likes playing on the road against a divisional rival in front of hostile fans, and word around the MLB is that Philadelphia has some of the more hostile fans. While I’m sure Philly wasn’t Harper’s favorite place to play as a member of the Nationals, that’s nothing a few hundred million dollars can’t fix.

My Prediction: Harper re-signs with the Washington Nationals

Manny Machado

White Sox

Why Machado would sign with Chicago:

Reports have come out in recent days about an offer on the table from Chicago upwards of seven years and $175 million dollars. That can buy you a lot of deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs with that kind of money. Not only is the offer from the White Sox the only reported deal on the table for Machado, but if the shortstop decides to sign on the dotted line, he would be joining two of his close friends in the Windy City.

The White Sox are apparently all-in on signing Machado, not only offering him a long-term deal but the team also recently acquired two of Machado's good friends, Jon Jay - Machado’s close friend - and Yonder Alonso - Machado’s brother-in-law. If the former Dodger were to join the White Sox, not only would he be welcomed by a lot of dollar bills, but also two friendly faces.

Why Machado wouldn’t sign with Chicago:

For the large majority of his career, Machado was a member of an Orioles team that frankly wasn’t any good. In fact, last season Machado spent the first half of the season with an Orioles team that finished the year with a measly 47 wins, before being traded to the Dodgers. If Machado does sign with Chicago he would join a team that was only 15 games better than the lowly Orioles in 2018. The addition of Machado would certainly lead to an improved season for the White Sox but Chicago isn’t playing in the World Series anytime soon.

Phillies

Why Machado would sign with Philadelphia:

The reasons as to why Machado would sign with the Phillies are similar to the reasons why Harper would decide to take his talents to Philadelphia. The chance to join forces with a player like Mike Trout is a once in a lifetime opportunity that most guys in baseball don’t ever get. Of course, it’s not a foregone conclusion that Trout will head home to Philadelphia when he hits the free agent market in 2021, so Machado and Harper would have to take a leap of faith if either of them decides sign there. But even without Trout, Philadelphia has enough pieces to be competitive in the MLB if they were able to add a player like Machado to their roster.

Why Machado wouldn’t sign with Philadelphia:

The Phillies have “stupid money” to spend and they have made it clear they are going to spend it. The only problem is that they have also made it clear that they are only willing to sign either Harper or Machado, not both. And up to this point, the Phillies have shown more interest in Harper, meaning that if Harper does choose to sign with the Phillies then that would eliminate Philadelphia as an option for Machado. Also, like Harper, the idea that Machado wasn’t fond of Philadelphia was floated around the media and internet in recent weeks.

Mystery Team

Machado has recently been linked to a “mystery team” and while I don’t know the legitimacy of this “mystery team,” I’ve decided to play along with the idea. Of course, if there is some team out there that is willing to pay Machado the type of money the All-Star shortstop wants then he would consider going there. But let me float this out there, WHY WOULD YOU BELIEVE IN A MYSTERY TEAM?? If you are Philadelphia or Chicago, there is no reason to think that there is really some mystery team out there that you are bidding against. In this day and age of social media and leaks left and right, there is no way an entire MLB organization can remain a mystery, leading me to believe that it’s all a ruse by Machado’s camp to get a better offer from Chicago.

My Prediction: Machado heads to Chicago.