With a look further down the road, the team is reportedly considering creating an all-MVP outfield no sooner than 2021. Having already added Andrew McCutchen and with eyes on bringing in arguably this year’s biggest fish in the free agency pool Bryce Harper, the team is interested in completing their outfield by signing New Jersey native Mike Trout to man center field for years to come.
While this mindset can be looked at as one in which the Phillies staff is using The Show to predict future moves, it is not that far fetched, considering the current place the team is in and how they plan on moving on in the future.
Financially, the team could afford to bring both Harper and Manny Machado to the team if they so pleased this year, due to their low payroll, which currently sits a shape over $115 million. If the franchise were to bring Harper and Machado in, safely adding $60 million to that budget would still only put them at $175 million.
Trout would most certainly be searching out a deal that would surpass anything signed this offseason or any offseason leading up to his eventual departure, so he could be looking for a deal that starts at $40 million per season, a huge contract for any team to take on:
Are the Phillies trying to create the league’s next super outfield with Bryce Harper, Mike Trout?
