How good can Machado and Harper get?

The slow march to the MLB Opening Day continues with teams beginning to prepare for the long 162 MLB schedule in both Florida and Arizona.

Despite the start of spring-training, two noticeable free agents still sit on the open market as we pass the midpoint of February. Those free agents are All-Star third baseman Manny Machado and All-Star outfielder Bryce Harper. Both stars are currently just 26-years-old and won’t turn 27 until later this year, were expected to be the hottest commodities during the off-season.

As you look at these two stars this offseason it is hard to imagine both of them still sitting on the open market this long into the new year. In fact, Machado – who has a career .282 batting average and 175 career home-runs – has allegedly agreed a bumper $300m deal with the San Diego Padres earlier this week.

BREAKING: Free agent star Manny Machado has agreed to a deal with the San Diego Padres, league sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 19, 2019

Those stats come after a season that saw the former Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers star finish the 2018 MLB season with a .297 batting average and 37 home-runs while driving in 107 runs. Along with the offensive production, Machado continues to show his strong defensive abilities at both third base and shortstop.

Meanwhile Harper, who many experts are saying is coming off a down season (.249 batting average, 34 home-runs and 100 runs batted in), will enter the 2019 MLB season with a career .279 batting average with 184 home-runs, 521 runs-batted-in and an NL MVP award under his belt all before he turns 27-years-old.

Along with the MVP award, Harper has also added a Rookie of the Year award, multiple silver slugger awards, led the National League in home-runs and is a six-time NL All-Star.

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Since making it to the big leagues, these two All-Stars have been linked to one another from being highlighted as the best young stars of the game, to the next $300 million dollar contracts, to the possibility both would join each other one day in Cooperstown as MLB Hall of Famers.

Now these two stars sit waiting till see where their future will take them during the 2019 MLB season and possible for the rest of their careers.

As we sit back and wait to see where these two stars could land before the start of the 2019 MLB Season on March 28th, 2019, we can take a look at what the potential future holds for both of these stars.

Manny Machado
Potential Awards: MVP, Silver Slugger & Gold Gloves

As you look at Machado he has been as consistent as any player in the game dating back to the 2015 MLB Season. While he showed progress prior, two knee injuries slowed the early part of his career.

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That said since 2015, Machado has had at least 30 doubles, 30 home-runs and 86 runs-batted-in all while posting over a .286 batting average in three of those four seasons. The alleged $300m deal with the Padres is a 10-year one and would leave Machado at the age of 37 at conclusion. While no one can predict the future, many analytic experts have Machado currently at the start of his prime with many experts indicating his numbers to go up for six to seven more seasons before slowly starting to decline.

If Machado averages 35 home-runs, 90 runs-batted-in and 30 doubles over those next ten seasons then Machado’s career numbers would look like this:

Potential Career Numbers: 525 home-runs, 511 doubles and 1,413 runs-batted-in

Bryce Harper
Potential Awards: MVP, Batting Champ, HR Champ & Silver Slugger

The start of Harper’s career has been much like a roller coaster ride; showing great strides including a Rookie of the Year award before turning in an MVP caliber season in 2015 with 42 home-runs, 99 runs-batted-in and a .330 batting average.

Since then Harper failed to hit 30 home-runs in back-to-back seasons before bouncing back with 34 during the 2018 MLB season. While Harper has played through some injuries and also missed time, his aggressive style of play has limited his true potential.

It is hard to project Harper’s potential over the next 10 years but a chance to add a DH role in the NL could keep him healthy. If Harper can continue his 2018 pace over the next 10 seasons averaging 34 home-runs, 100 runs-batted-in and 34 doubles, here is how his career numbers would look:

Potential Career Numbers: 524 home-runs; 523 doubles and 1521 runs-batted-in.

All in all, after 10 solid seasons with no increase in production, these two stars would not only join an elite class of 500 home-run hitters, the two would stack up very similar in career achievements while only finishing the 2029 season at 37-years-old.

For now, these two stars will continue to be linked together until the potential end of both of their careers. The question now is; where will the next path lead to these two stars in 2019?

Featured image: “IMG_1107” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by markomni