Former rival leaders believe Phillies could land both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper in the off-season

Several MLB executives told Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports that they thought it was possible for the Philadelphia Phillies to land Bryce Harper and passenger Manny Machado this winter.

Heyman has spoken with more than 10 MLB leaders to find out which free agent the superstar would get the best deal, and a few said that they thought Philly could sign both players. The Phillies have a relatively small amount of money due to future contracts (under $ 69 million), which seems to put the team in place for a potentially huge winter.

Machado and Harper should both win contracts that could put them among the highest paid players in MLB history because they enter free agency at such a young age. Harper will turn 26 next season, while Machado turns 27 in July.

At the beginning of the season, Machado was linked to Philadelphia before it was distributed to the Dodgers. Machado also has personal connections when Phillies rulers Andy MacPhail, Matt Klentak, Ned Rice and Scott Proefrock all came together in Baltimore when the Orioles chose Machado with third place in the 2010 MLB draft.

This season, Harper hit .247 / .387 / .503 with 33 home homers for the Washington Nationals. Machado, meanwhile, hit .302 / .374 / .545 with 34 home runs for the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A surprising first half and a spurt in early August allowed the Phillies to take a lead of one and a half game in the East of the National League, which positioned them for an appearance in the playoffs. But then, they collapsed and since then they have gone 11-23, failing to win any of their last 11 playoffs and are now 7 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves. The Braves and Phillies will face seven times before the end of the season, so the Phillies still have a small chance to make the playoffs.

The team has the second worst batting average (.237) in the majors, 21st in the heats and the third highest number of strikeouts. The addition of two offensive powers like Harper and Machado to the lineup could only contribute to their problems.