An interesting outside projection of Phillies' offseason

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MLB Trade Rumors, one of the most-visited sites in the sports world this time of year, typically does a good job at the beginning of each offseason projecting the next contract for the Top 50 free agents.

Predicting which team each player will end up with can be a fool's errand, but MLBTR last offseason did accurately peg J.D. Martinez to the Red Sox and Yu Darvish to the Cubs.

The crew has the Phillies signing three of the top 38 free agents this offseason: Manny Machado, Charlie Morton and Nick Markakis.

The projected deals:

• 13 years, $390 million for Machado

• 2 years, $32 million for Morton

• 2 years, $16 million for Markakis

Would this represent a successful offseason for the Phillies?

Let's start at the top. MLBTR has the Dodgers landing Bryce Harper for 14 years, $420 million, which gives you an idea of how high these prices could soar. 

But the craziest part of a 13-year deal for Machado is that he wouldn't even be 40 years old by opening day of the final season of his contract. Gives you an idea of how unique this class is, to include two superstars at ages a player hasn't typically yet reached free agency.

I'm a Harper-over-Machado guy, but if Harper does sign first elsewhere, then obviously most of the Phillies' attention must shift to Machado, playoffs and idiotic comments be damned.

We've spent a ton of time talking about Harper and Machado. What sticks out in MLBTR's forecast is the pair of veterans linked to the Phillies.

Morton and Markakis would be good gets on two-year deals. Over the next two weeks, both will turn 35 years old. Yet Morton is coming off a career year and Markakis completed his best season in seven years.

Morton was 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 167 innings last season for the Astros. 

Markakis hit .297/.366/.440, his highest batting average and slugging percentage since 2012.

Morton is not Patrick Corbin and Markakis is not Harper, but both would make the Phillies a better team in 2019. Reaching two-year deals with either player would give the Phillies a key player to bridge the gap until they can find a longer-term solution in the rotation or corner outfield.

Markakis would be an interesting fit in this Phillies lineup. His skill set is different from what we saw of the 2018 Phillies, who were home run reliant and seemed to walk or strike out endlessly. Markakis is a contact hitter who barely whiffs. He struck out 80 times last season in 705 plate appearances. 

Markakis is a clutch hitter, the kind of guy you want up with a man on third and two outs in the seventh inning of a tied game. Some in the baseball world — particularly those married to analytics — dismiss the idea of "clutch" as fluky. But Markakis has made a living out of hitting well in key moments. 

With runners in scoring position, Markakis is a .290 career hitter with an .809 OPS. In four seasons with the Braves, these were his RISP numbers:

2015 — .306/.420/.410

2016 — .308/.385/.378

2017 — .286/.397/.429

2018 — .307/.407/.482

Think the Phillies could use that in the 5- or 6-spot?

Bringing in Markakis could necessitate or expedite a trade of Odubel Herrera, which could happen this offseason whether or not the Phillies sign a veteran outfielder to a multi-year deal. It would also be a blow to the Braves, who probably want to re-sign Markakis to continue batting behind Freddie Freeman.

The MLB offseason began Saturday. It may take some time to develop, but you'll see plenty of players linked to the Phillies in the coming weeks. With the resources and needs they have, no free agent should be overlooked.

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