With Bryce Harper having been relatively quiet this offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies are set to make a ton of noise with the star outfielder.
The Philadelphia Phillies have made it known that they’re ready to build a super team, and Bryce Harper might be the first piece of the puzzle.
Reports indicate that Bryce Harper “hit if off” with Phillies manager Gabe Kapler in the highly touted Las Vegas meeting this past weekend. We also learned, through Jesse Rogers of ESPN, that the Chicago Cubs were never really in on the superstar.
Then, there’s the fact that the Washington Nationals beat the Phillies in the Patrick Corbin sweepstakes, and suddenly a marriage between Bryce and the Phillies looks to be very likely.
The fact of the matter is, with Manny Machado looking like an afterthought for Philly, Bryce Harper might be Phillies owner John Middleton‘s last hope of fulfilling his promise to spend “stupid” money this offseason.
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Spending money on Harper, however, may not even be so stupid after all.
Have you ever heard the saying, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”?
Well, Bryce Harper absolutely owns the Phillies, and joining forces with the star outfielder would tremendously help the organization. Against the Philadelphia Phillies, Bryce has a lifetime .378 OBP and .519 SLG. He also has hit more HR (14) against the Phillies than any other team he’s ever faced.
What’s more, Bryce Harper also performs well against division rivals, especially those who tremendously improved their teams this offseason.
Against the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves, Harper has a combined .511 SLG and .385 OBP. Aside from the Phillies, Bryce has more HR (12) against the Mets than any other team in baseball.
Finally, Bryce Harper might also be enticed to join a team that could see the likes of Mike Trout in red & white pinstripes. Recent reports speculate that Mike Trout may not sign an extension with the Angels this winter, per Jon Heyman:
Regardless who they sign this winter, phillies will make a big play for mike trout in 2 years — provided he hasn’t signed an extension, of course. #LAAngels will try to extend Trout this winter, but while he likes it there, the whispers are that an extension now is unlikely.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 15, 2019
If this is true, then the Philadelphia Phillies – the team Trout grew up rooting for – might be favorites to land the slugger when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021. Suddenly, what some might call a super team is more akin to baseball’s Avengers than anything else.
Scary to even think about.