Phillies Join Hunt for Machado, Arietta at Winter Meeetings
It may seem like odd timing. For years, the Phillies have been silent over talk at the Winter Meetings. And that silence made sense. The Phillies had nothing to offer. Up until last September, the Phillies had nothing in their system worth discussing. But now, the Phillies prospects, including Nick Williams, Rhys Hoskins, Jorge Alfaro and J.P. Crawford have all shown that they can perform at the major league level. Now it is time for more serious discussions. What would it cost to turn the Phillies into a contender now by the acquisition of Manny Machado and Jake Arietta? For Machado, it makes sense to try to make a deal now. Machado is a free agent next year. The Orioles will loose all value they may have in him. If the Orioles could find an interested trading partner now, at least Baltimore can salvage something. Connecting the Phillies to any potential Machado deal is interesting. With the disappointing play of Mikail Franco, third base currently represents the Phillies’ b