MLB rumors: How Yankees, Phillies could land Manny Machado or Bryce Harper on unique opt-in deals

by Felix Pantaleón

The Mariners deal with Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi could be instructive for the Yankees or Phillies in the Manny Machado and Bryce Harper sweepstakes.

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It’s time to get creative in New York and Philadelphia.

As Manny Machado and Bryce Harper linger on the free-agent market, fans of the Yankees and Phillies are understandably antsy for their respective teams to land a difference-making star for 2019 and beyond.

While negotiations continue at a snail’s pace, this assumption has been out there: The highest bidder will win.

But what if there’s another way do it, that could leave both the player and team choosing their own adventures throughout the process? The recent contract for Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi could serve as a barometer, according to New York Post columnist Joel Sherman.

How about the Kikuchi Structure (with a few twists)?

It doesn’t have to be these salaries, but what if a team were to offer a contract to Harper and/or Machado that would guarantee no less than three years at $114 million and could max out at 10 years at $400 million?

The perfect Hall of Fame ballot

How would it work?

The initial three-year, $114M idea would secure record average annual player value on the deal and potentially take either star back into free agency after their age-28 season. But the Yankees or Phillies could then trigger another lucrative option, keeping the stars through their age-32 seasons.

Basically, it’s a way to pay the player record money, but also let the player out of the deal at an advantageous age if the team doesn’t want to extend the marriage.

As the days pass, it becomes more and more likely that something unique will come out of all of this. Perhaps it’s this kind of contract that entices Machado or Harper to put pen to paper and change the sport for the foreseeable future.