Jun 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Diego Padres third base Manny Machado (13) against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports Eric Hartline
When Manny Machado comes to the plate at Citizens Bank Park this week for the San Diego Padres, he'll hear loud boos from the Phillies fans in attendance.
But almost exactly seven years ago, Machado visited Philadelphia as a Baltimore Oriole, and received a very different reception as he neared his long-awaited free agency:
Manny Machado at #AllStarGame on Phillies fans cheering him and chanting “We Want Manny” at Citizens Bank Park
“Philly. I did hear that nice ovation when I was there. That was pretty awesome”
Phillies are one of favorites to trade for Manny#BeBold pic.twitter.com/vu2VkbaqZb
Machado was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers shortly after that, and while he did help them to reach the World Series, his infamous "I'm not the type of player that's going to be Johnny Hustle" comments during the postseason didn't endear him to Phillies fans. Though he did visit Citizens Bank Park during his 100+ days as a free agent, the Phillies weren't ultimately willing to match the 10-year/$300 million contract Machado received from the Padres, with then-general manager Matt Klentak saying "sometimes you have to be willing to walk away."
The Phillies walked away from Machado, and ultimately inked Bryce Harper to a 13-year/$330 million deal not long after. Both players were entering their age-26 seasons, and it took three less years to sign Machado. With that said, Harper's deal didn't include any opt outs. While he and agent Scott Boras have since lobbied for a contract extension, none has materialized. Meanwhile, Machado signaled before his fifth season in San Diego that he planned to exercise his opt-out clause after the 2023 campaign. He didn't end up having to do that, as the threat of possibly leaving was enough for the late-Peter Seidler to sign him to a new 11-year/$350 million pact. Harper is signed through the 2031 season, his age-38 campaign. Machado is signed through the 2033 season, his age-40 campaign. From that sense, the Phillies have probably ended up in a better place contractually with Harper than they would have with Machado.
Here's how the two have performed since the start of 2019, per Baseball Reference:
Manny Machado: .277/.342/.490 with 180 home runs, 583 RBIs, .832 OPS and 25.7 WAR
Bryce Harper: .283/.389/.527 with 161 home runs, 489 RBIs, .916 OPS and 24.7 WAR
When Harper has been on the field, he's been a more valuable offensive contributor than Machado over the period in question. However, no one would have guessed back in 2019 that Machado would comfortably top Harper in both home runs and RBIs. But the reason is pretty simple — Machado has played 100+ more regular-season games than Harper since the start of the 2019 season. Machado's sample comes over 891 games, as opposed to Harper in 783 games.
Both Harper and Machado have had major elbow surgeries since signings their contracts. Harper had Tommy John surgery in November of 2022, which caused him to miss the first month of the 2023 season. Machado had right elbow extensor tendon repair in October of 2023. He didn't miss any regular-season time in 2024, but did serve only as the DH to open that season.
Beyond the elbow injury, though, Machado has only been on the injured list one other time since joining the Padres. Even though Machado missed time in 2023 with a left hand fracture, he still played 138 games that season. He's played more than 150 games four times since joining the Padres, and played all 60 games of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Harper, on the other hand, just missed most of June with right wrist inflammation. This was his fifth time on the IL since joining the Phillies. He's played more than 150 games as a Phillie just once, doing so in 2019. To be fair, he played 145 as recently as last season, and some of the injuries Harper has dealt with have been out of his control, such as when an errant Blake Snell pitch broke his left thumb in July of 2022. But Harper has been good for at least one IL stint pretty much every year with the Phillies, as opposed to Machado who continues to post just about every day.
It might be that the same thing that made Harper a better fit for Philadelphia than Machado — his balls-to-the-wall playing style — also contributes to him not being available to play as frequently. The Press of Atlantic City's Mike McGarry recently made this observation regarding Juan Soto, and it applies to Machado as well:
Juan Soto does not hustle
You know what he does do - he plays every day and hits HRs. Has played at least 150 games in six straight full seasons
Machado has benefitted from playing the bulk of his career in smaller media markets like Baltimore and San Diego. There's a lot less pressure to run 110% on every play. But not doing so has probably been a major contributor in playing 100+ more games than Harper since 2019.
From a team-building perspective, Machado has always played a more valuable position in third base than Harper, who was signed as a right fielder. Machado may not be the rangey defender with an all-time great arm that he was early in his career, but he's still a league average third baseman, if not better. Harper has settled in at first base, where he's played well. But there's no doubt that having someone play third base (or right field) at a high level is more valuable than a first baseman. Harper has repeatedly expressed a willingness to move back to the outfield if the Phillies acquire an impact first baseman, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently told Jayson Stark of The Athletic that "I would really prefer not to do that." And while playing first base hasn't made Harper an ironman, running and throwing in the outfield puts even more stress on you, particularly as you age.
Dave Dombrowski on Bryce Harper going back to OF: 'I would really prefer not to do that'
onpattison.com/news/2025/ju...
[image or embed]— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) June 25, 2025 at 10:26 AM
At this juncture, it would be hard for the Phillies to feel like Harper hasn't been an overwhelming success. He won the 2021 NL MVP, and then sent them to the World Series a season later with arguably the most iconic home run in franchise history. His intensity probably did make him a better fit for Philadelphia. His Hall of Fame plaque will have him wearing a P on his cap.
Still, anyone who acted in the winter of 2018-19 like they would be upset if the Phillies signed Machado looks, predictably, foolish. He's been a top-three finisher in NL MVP voting twice since joining the Padres, and is likely headed to his seventh career All-Star Game next month. He recently hit his 355th career home run, while Harper — certainly more of a power hitter when healthy — is sitting at 345. Machado, too, will be a shoo-in for Cooperstown when his career wraps up.
The bottom line is that whether the Phillies signed Harper or Machado, they would have made out well. When Machado is still under contract in 2032 and 2033, the Phillies will likely be happy they picked Harper over him. But if you think that Machado is going to age more gracefully than Harper, it would be hard to argue that considering how many games Harper has missed during the first half of his deal.
