Phillies could end up with Mike Trout and Bryce Harper
By Manny Gómez
On Friday, Jayson Stark of The Athletic gave Philadelphia Phillies fans the greatest gift of all: the hope of seeing Mike Trout and Bryce Harper as members of the Phillies.
Travel approx. 109 miles south of Yankee Stadium and you’ll find yourself confronted with an organization in the Philadelphia Phillies looking to mimic the “Evil Empire.” A name given to the Yankees because of George Steinbrenner’s shameless and irresponsible spending habits in search of World Series after World Series.
Now, I know that Phillies owner, John Middleton, isn’t George Steinbrenner. It took plenty of patience and foresight for the Phillies to get in the position they are currently in.
Currently, the Phillies only have approx. $67 million committed for the 2019 season, per Baseball Reference.
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Is there another team better placed to offer Bryce Harper the deal of his dreams?
What’s more, that number drops to $15.1 million by the time Mike Trout becomes a free agent in 2021.
This places the Phillies firmly in position to acquire two – or more – of MLB’s best players.
In fact, Jayson Stark of The Athletic quoted a big league executive as saying, “I think it’s possible.”
That’s right, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, baseball’s ying and yang, two dudes who debuted on the same exact date and have taken the baseball world by storm, could actually play for the same team.
I can hear you gasping for air from here.
I’ll take this even further. Is it possible that we might see this happen sooner rather than later?
With the Los Angeles of Anaheim failing to make the postseason in eight out of the last nine seasons, and given Mike Scioscia‘s departure, it seems the Angels will look undergo a full-blown rebuild.
Just imagine what the Angels can get for Trout. The Phillies had the sixth best farm system coming into the 2018 season. Is Trout not worth blowing up the farm?
Also, the boy from Millville, NJ, a town 40 miles south of Citizens Bank Park, grew up a Philadelphia Eagles super-fan. Where do the Eagles play? Walking distance from Citizens Bank, that’s where.
Next. Phillies trade reasoning. dark
Also, Phillies owner, John Middleton, made it abundantly clear that he intends to spend “stupid” money moving forward, according to USA Today. A fact Phillies fan should be elated to hear.
Need I say more?