Harper nor Manny Machado really lived up to the hype Matt Williams Jersey , yet they still walked away from Major League Baseball's free-agent market with $630 million between them.Makes you wonder how Mike Trout will fare in a couple years, doesn't it?Following a 2017-18 offseason that was notoriously unkind to star free agents, the expectation for 2018-19 was always that Harper and Machado would spearhead a market correction. In so doing, they'd set a high bar for Trout therwise known as the best player in baseball now and maybe ever ove even higher after his contract with the Los Angeles Angels concludes in 2020.There were times when Harper's and Machado's markets seemed headed in other, less lucrative directions, but it all worked out.Machado set a free-agent record with a 10-year, $300 million payout from the San Diego Padres, only to have Harper break it with a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.Internally, Trout may have jumped for joy when he saw these numbers. Externally, he played it cool when he was asked about what they might mean for his own market value."I haven't really thought about it," said the 27-year-old, according to Gabe Lacques of USA Today. "I'm happy, I'm happy with what they got, they obviously wanted that, and we'll go from there."The seven-time All-Star and two-time American League MVP can stick to his trademark humility all he wants. It's also worth noting he's already rich. His current dealis worth $144.5 million.The reality http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , however, is thatthe Harper and Machado contracts all but sealed the deal that Trout's free agency is going to be the biggest North American sports bonanza this side of LeBron James' occasional dilemmas about where to take his talents.Victor Decolongon/Getty ImagesThe topic of how much Trout might earn as a free agent is already a hot one. For instance, former teammate Jered Weaver was presumably only half-joking when he proposed a $1 billion deal:Jered Weaver Weave1036If Machado got 300 million... MikeTrout is going to get 1 billionOther figures bandied about on social media (h/t Michelle R. Martinelli ofUSA Today) ranged from the absurd ($900 zillion) to the slightly less absurd ($500 million) to the not-at-all absurd ($400 million).One figure that may actually be in play for Troutright now is $350 million.That's what the Angels are prepared to offer their star center fielder in a new contract extension, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Such a deal would set records for its total guarantee and its $35 million average annual value.Yet Rosenthal is correct in asserting that "a $40 million average annual value and $400 million guarantee would not seem unreasonable" for Trout's next deal. And if he doesn't receive such an offer from the Angels, he'll almost certainly find that kind of money on the open market after 2020.The "almost" is necessary because MLB free agency still has problems despite Harper and Machado's record-setting deals.The big one concerns how some teams treat the luxury tax as more of a hard cap than a soft cap. That may not change until a new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated for 2022.There's also widespread wariness about signing older players to long-term contracts.Even Trout won't be exempt from that kind of scrutiny. He'll be 29 and coming off his age-28 season after 2020. By comparison, Harper and Machado are 26-year-olds coming off their age-25 seasons.Per Baseball Reference wins above replacement, however, the appeal of Trout's playing ability鈥攚hich notably consists of excellent power, patience and speed and mostly solid defense鈥攚ould have severely trumped Harper and Machado's if he'd also been on the market this winter:Trout:64.3 WARMachado:33.8 WARHarper:27.4 WARTrout's 64.3 WAR through his age-26 season is an all-time record. Heck,he'd still be tied for 11th all-time even if he added zero WAR to his ledger through his age-28 season in 2020.Of course, Trout's decline will come eventually. But if there's a lesson to be learned from the greatest hitters (i.e., those who amassed at least 50 WAR) ever through the age of 28, it's that they tend to have something left in the tank after 29:*This isn't counting Albert Pujols, who's still ticking.Sure, these players' returns diminished with age. But 12 of the 26 had at least another 50 WAR in them. The group as a whole averaged 50 additional WAR.The cautionary tales are Ken Griffey Jr. and Andruw Jones. Much like Trout is now, they earned great acclaim as do-it-all center fielders when they were in their 20s. Next thing anyone knew Willie Mays Jersey , age and injuries robbed them of their athleticism. Before long, their bats withered away too.But while Trout is similar to peak Griffey and peak Jones, adjusted OPS+ reveals that neither was as good of a hitter then as Trout is now:Trout's hitting has also been putting his contemporaries to shame of late. He's led Major League Baseball in OPS+ three years in a row. Likewise, he leads everyone in xwOBA鈥攁 Statcast metric that measures expected production based on contact quality鈥攕ince 2016.Setting aside the less-than-savory implications of the comparison, Trout is more of a candidate for a Barry Bondsian aging curve. Even after his athleticism goes, his bat should keep his star shining.So barring any truly catastrophic injuries between now and 2020, to the high bidder will go the spoils.Harper has thrown caution to the wind and made it crystal clear he'd like the Phillies to sign Trout after 2020. They should have the payroll space to do so, and Trout himself may jump at the chance to play within shouting distance of his hometown of Millville, New Jersey.Other teams with serious money to spend after 2020include the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and, of course, the Angels. And if the Machado signing is any indication, it's silly to rule outany team at a time when MLB's revenues are firmly in the 11-figure range.Set your watch. Mark your calendar. Whatever it takes, get ready for a free-agent frenzy that'll make history.Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , FanGraphs and Baseball Savant. Payroll data courtesy of Spotrac. PHOENIX (AP) — The series between National League playoff hopefuls Atlanta and Arizona has been a wild ride, and Saturday night’s ending might have topped them all.Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson made a diving stop on the outfield grass and cut down Nick Ahmed at home plate for the final out to preserve Atlanta’s 5-4 victory in 10 innings.“He just gave every last bit of energy he had and obviously won the game for us,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.Atlanta got two runs in the top of the 10th to go up 5-3. Freddie Freeman scored on first baseman Paul Goldschmidt’s throwing error, and Ender Inciarte added an RBI triple.In the bottom of the inning, with runners at second and third, A.J. Pollock grounded a two-out single up the middle. Steven Souza Jr. scored from third, but Ahmed tried to come around from second and was thrown out by Swanson to end the game.“A.J. hit the ball and I was going hard and T.P. (third base coach Tony Perezchica) was waving me and it was close,” Ahmed said. “I didn’t get there.”Swanson said he figured Ahmed would try to score because he would have done the same thing.“That is just kind of how I would play it offensively. He is scoring no matter what,” Swanson said. “I don’t think anyone really anticipated that I would be able to catch it and be able to make a throw like that. Honestly, it was the right play on both sides.”Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he didn’t have “a perfect snapshot” of the play but thought it might have been better to hold up at third and give the next batter a chance.“I feel like there’s certain times when you take a little bit of risk and there’s other times you don’t,” he said. “That may not have been the best time to take that type of risk.”The victory boosted Atlanta’s lead in the NL East to 3½ games over Philadelphia. Arizona fell 2 1/2 games behind first-place Colorado in the NL West.Neither team led by more than one run until the 10th.Freeman drew a leadoff walk from Andrew Chafin (1-5), and Nick Markakis hit a slow roller to first. Goldschmidt tossed the ball wide of the bag and into the Braves dugout, one of four Arizona errors.Souza robbed Kurt Suzuki of at least a double with a leaping grab at the right-field fence, but Inciarte followed with a triple that made it 5-3.Chad Sabotka (1-0) got the final out in the ninth for his first major league win.With some difficulty, A.J. Minter picked up his 13th save in 15 tries.Both teams threatened in the ninth. Swanson tripled off Yoshihisa Hirano with one out but was stranded when pinch-hitter Lucas Duda struck out and, after Ronald Acuna Jr. was intentionally walked Barry Bonds Jersey , Johan Camargo grounded out.Arizona, with the help of a throwing error by Camargo at third, loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth before Daniel Descalso lined out to center.Suzuki put the Braves up 3-2 with a two-out solo home run off Jake Diekman in the eighth, but Arizona answered in its half of the inning.Descalso lined a two-out double off the center-field wall against Dan Winkler to score David Peralta from first and tie it at 3.There were four errors in the first two innings, three by Arizona, resulting in a 2-2 deadlock.Acuna doubled on the game’s first pitch and scored when Peralta bobbled Camargo’s single to left field. Markakis’ sacrifice fly made it 2-0.The Diamondbacks got an unearned run in the first when Pollock came home from first on Goldschmidt’s foul pop to the railing beyond first base. Freeman’s throw home came in plenty of time, but Suzuki dropped it.Arizona tied it 2-all in the second when pitcher Clay Buchholz’s two-out double to left-center scored Souza from first. It was the first RBI and extra-base hit in 45 career at-bats for Buchholz.MISTAKESThe Diamondbacks, one of the best defensive teams in baseball, committed four errors.“The errors we made today weren’t typical of what we do here every single day,” Lovullo said, “so I just think at times we try to make things happen and we force things and maybe press a play or two and will it to happen, and it doesn’t happen.”TRAINER’S ROOMBraves: RHPs Jose Ramirez and Arodys Vizcaino made rehab appearances for Class A Rome in a playoff game Friday. Ramirez allowed four runs and four hits while getting just one out. Vizcaino tossed a scoreless ninth in a 6-0 loss to Lexington that eliminated Rome.UP NEXTArizona sends left-hander Robbie Ray to the mound, seeking a split of the four-game series. Atlanta counters with Touki Toussaint.