There’s no denying the public perception of Manny Machado took a hit this postseason after this incident in Game 4 of the NLDS:

And this incident from last night:

And, of course, this, after the jump:

Whether his admitted nonchalance and proclivity for stomping on the heels of unsuspecting first basemen diminishes his value on the market remains to be seen. Certainly, Machado’s recent bullshit has helped solidify Bryce Harper as the preferred free agent target of Phillies fans.


I wrote this morning that Philadelphia is the current betting favorite for Harper’s services, but oddsmakers have also installed the Phillies as the favorite to land Machado:

There’s no way they sign both, but it’s obvious that the Phillies will look to be aggressive this offseason, so what should they do? I strongly prefer Harper, but I’m still 100% in on Machado as a consolation prize. I stand by what I wrote two weeks ago:

I didn’t care when Jimmy Rollins jogged out a pop-up, and I’m sure as hell not going to care if Machado does the same, particularly if it happens to come in between one of his 180-plus hits or 37 homers. Nor should you.

At the end of the day, it’s only a potential $250-350 million financial commitment, and we all know that it’s about to be cuffing season, Phils. Bring me someone. Anyone.