It may be time to pause the Manny Machado to the Phillies rumors. Not end, but rather pause.

As the Phillies try to get through a difficult June, Machado talk will naturally heat up. There's no better and more logical fit for the team to add to a slumping offense. That, of course, ignores the reality of Machado's impending free agency. It's hard to imagine the Phillies paying a steep price for a player they can sign without giving up any young players for.

Instead, Philadelphia could look for a stop-gap power bat to help spur a pennant chase this summer.

Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia threw out an interesting idea this week: Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas.

This is not to say the Phillies won't look to upgrade their offensive output at third base in July if they can manage to right their ship this month and stay relevant in the playoff chase. They have an obligation to improve if they think they can make the postseason now. But Mike Moustakas, a rental player without Machado's price tag of prospects, might fit the team's plan better.



Watch that one.

Moustakas, 29, entered play on June 12 with 13 HR and 42 RBI. The veteran slugger signed a one-year, $6.5M deal with the Royals before the season. The deal comes with a $15M mutual option for 2019. If Machado arrives in the offseason, the Phillies could decline the option for the cost of $1M.

Since the start of 2012, Moustakas has averaged 26 HR per 162 games played.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.