7:00PM: Harper’s market is still “evolving,” as Heyman puts it in his latest tweet. The Phillies are still seen as the likeliest team to land Harper, though the outfielder has received several long-term deals with an average annual value of more than $30MM per season.
6:01PM: There is no deal yet, though according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link), Harper “will ultimately receive” a larger contract than the ten-year, $300MM offer he received from the Nationals before free agency began.
1:15PM: As was the case a month ago, the Phillies are the favorites to sign free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. But Harper’s market has “intensified,” according to Heyman, who unsurprisingly notes he’ll eventually sign a long-term contract.
Philadelphia met with Harper back on Jan. 10, though he and fellow free-agent superstar/Phillies target Manny Machado have shockingly remained on the market since then. Both the Giants and Padres have since joined the race for Harper, who, as of two weeks ago, had drawn interest from “at least” eight teams, Heyman reported. Only five suitors have been identified, though, with Harper’s career-long club – the Nationals – accompanying the Phillies, Giants, Padres and White Sox. The Yankees and Mets are two teams that can be ruled out, Andy Martino of SNY tweets.
Harper entered the offseason seeking a contract worth upward of $300MM – a figure that he could still match or exceed, despite his unexpectedly long stay on the market. And the Phillies are arguably in better position than anyone else to bid an extravagant amount for Harper, as they came into the winter expecting to spend “stupid” money, according to owner John Middleton. The big-market team has been aggressive in improving its roster to this point, having added J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson, but it’s not spending an eyebrow-raising sum on any of those players. Plus, despite those upgrades, the Phillies still aren’t in great shape in the outfield, with Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams, Roman Quinn and Aaron Altherr serving as their best options besides McCutchen. The 26-year-old Harper blows that group out of the water, needless to say, and his presence would significantly boost the Phillies’ chances of breaking their seven-season playoff drought in 2019.
Should Harper head to Philly, it would remove a prime suitor for Machado, as the club’s only willing to sign one of the two. Without the Phillies in the mix, Machado would seemingly be left to choose between the Padres and White Sox, who have courted him, though it’s possible a previous suitor such as the Yankees or a mystery team could involve themselves in the race to sign him.
RiverCatsFilms
Yay another rumor
brooksinga
Isn’t that the point of the app?
justinept
It’s February… It isn’t the fault of the app, but I think people just want some closure on FA already…
vinnie
greglowcws
Haha true true it’s not called MLB Trade Facts.
AC_Slater123 2
Who would’ve thought we’d get rumors on TradeRumors
DannyQ3913
That’s the apps name hahaha
todd76
X where’s your comments on this article?
hohnav21
Hahahahaha
Brixton
9/297, opt out after 3 and a opt-out-veto-arrieta-thingy after year 7, where the phillies can veto his opt out for 2/66 with 3/105
kobo77
I wonder if there is a bidding war going on at the moment
jleve618
I wonder what I’m going to eat for dinner…
DarkSide830
i wonder what the purpose of this comment is
MB923
I wonder what the purpose of this comment was
Cuso
Oh I wonder, wonder who mmbadooh o-oh. Who wrote the book of love?
clepto
quality dig on a dig. nice work. keep it up. you got an upvote.
clepto
downvoted. unoriginal. try again.
chicagofan1978
I’m new to this app, so I’m genuinely wondering. Why do you keep saying upvote or downvote? I get it’s your schtick like the k. guy or dumpster diving theo, but I don’t even see an option to downvote or upvote. So really I don’t get it. Maybe I’m doing something wrong. Or it’s a joke I don’t get or it’s just not funny to me idk. Thanks
Cat Mando
chicagofan1978
Up and down vote are not view able on the app, only the actual website
Captain Dunsel
The Monotones.
mattingly23
Ppl who access the site using a browser have the option to vote on comments. Those of us using the app on phones don’t see any of that. As a result, some people “weaponize” their upvotes and downvotes thinking to try and hurt others’ self-worth. Anyhow, welcome to the comments section. I
clepto
weaponized downvote applied to your comment. you sir, have a nice positive rest of your day.
chicagofan1978
Ah ok, thanks guys. Yeah the browser one is too much work for me I guess. Anyway have an upvote even though it’s not technically legit
ThisIsTheYear
Lol how old are you XD
murphydog
I wonder, did I leave the iron on?
fox471 Dave
I did
fox471 Dave
Thank you. Wondered about the downvote stuff.
clepto
quality dig. upvoted
canocorn
Bryce in wonder land.
outinleftfield
You win the internet today.
scottn59c
No, because the Phillies are the only team willing to offer 10 years and over 300 million.
outinleftfield
Right now he has at least 3 offers over $300 million including the Nationals.
gmenfan
Yes, the Phillies trying to outbid the Phillies.
nymetsking
Careful, the Phillies are lurking as a mystery bidder.
sasafrass81
I heard from one of my sources that the Phillies have told Boras that after the Phillies or even the Phillies make an offer to circle back to the Phillies so they can take one last stab at Harper to outbid the presumed front winner Phillies…
That Philly office at CBP must be going crazy right now wondering which bid they made will be accepted lol
canocorn
Did I mention Phillie?
fox471 Dave
Smile.
rsmlbtr
I heard 10 years 310 million
Balk
Source?
DarkSide830
some other randos on this site
Cat Mando
CBS sports
twitter.com/DavidPSamson/status/109715487843305472…
Took less than 10 seconds to find it
Balk
Boo, it’s Twitter!! Bahahaha, I thought it was an actual source. What’s funny is when you ask someone who is putting out rumors for a source people get there panties in a bunch! Some of these people on this site crack me up. All I know, is sign already, damn!
outinleftfield
He is repeating a rumor started by @mlbinsider_ on Twitter. Its garbage.
Cat Mando
Balk…………
So an employee of CBS sports who tweets is not a source? OK…have a nice day.
outinleftfield
Sampson repeated a tweet by a fake account.
Balk
Exactly my point outinleftfield. More bull!
cscd1111
David P. Samson of CBS Sports
rsmlbtr
David P. Sampson of CBS sports
hiflew
I heard 52 years 17 billion. Of course I also said it, so maybe take it with a grain of salt.
bobtillman
Funny I heard the same thing….from an un-named source at the White House.….
elscorchot
They only spend the biggest, best money for the greatest players, there
ThisIsTheYear
Which source in the White House would ever put their name on it?
jim31762
You mean Waffle House
Joe Covert
Only if a Rascal is included and oxygen.
jekporkins
You posted it on Twitter so I believe you, buddy.
sasafrass81
Sad! They couldn’t get that 53rd year, but the money adds up, good AAV for Harp. Hopefully in the next CBA they raise the luxury tax a tad5…
Al Jab
Opt out after year 40
Bklyn913
I heard an unknown team offered 10 years at 311 million to beat that offer…
marshmallowman
i heard 311 should be investigated. where was SA Martinez on 311? i heard it stands for Space Alien Martinez.
El Kabong
Yes, the New York Knicks.. Dolan wants a star.
scjohn92
I heard it’s a minor league deal with, an invite to Spring Training.
bobtillman
Stop the calls…we have a winner…..
mlbfan1978
I read this as well. #mlbinsider on Twitter
outinleftfield
It’s not @MLBInsider it was an account with the name @mlbinsider_. Its not real.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
I also heard/read on ESPN (admittedly the source was unnamed) that the Nationals had upped their initial offer.
Balk
Heard the same
DarkSide830
wow, neither surprising nor really even news
arc89
Boras will wait to the very last moment for Harper gets signed. Boras will then go to the media and pretend he got the best deal at the last moment and how many teams were unwilling to negotiate with him. Same old story year after year.
Balk
Same ole same ole. Why don’t they say they really don’t know? Couple days ago, he has made up his mind, now it’s more of this crap. Hope the players do strike. They don’t deserve this garbage.
debubba
This player turned down a 10 year 300 million contract to stay in Washington. Grandall turned down $20 + million over four years “to help the union”. They deserve this.
Balk
You don’t know what that offer had in it, I agree that these players feel like you should throw the world at them but there’s a lot of mistreatment going on with clubs not signing players cause they aren’t in “win” now mode. Every player that’s ever played the game is always in win now mode. Don’t freeze the market to drive the cost down on these good ball players
AtlSoxFan
Many players do leave it all on the field. Some dont.
Manny being Manny. Puig dogging it, even winding up back in the minors.
How about Machado “not going to be johnny hustle”??
How about deGrom threatening a self imposed workload and pitch count in his remaining 2 years of control if not awarded a huge extension past his age 32 season before this year starts?
Could go on and on. Not every player is balls to the wall in win now mode the way guys like Dustin Pedroia who trashed his body every play are.
Personally I don’t see a freeze out, just that a team doesn’t want to give a life contract out. At 5 or 6yrs, 30 to 40 mil per both would already be signed long ago…
vinnie
Id like to have harper in my team
elscorchot
Sounds kinky
bobtillman
Nah, that would only be variety. Now Harper AND Machado, THAT would be kinky…….
Not that there’s anything wrong with that….
fasbal1
The leader in these types of deals rarely land the prize
scottn59c
If he goes to the Phillies, that’s exactly what the majority of baseball pundits have predicted and expected all offseason.
Francys01
Get it done Phillies. It will be fun when the Phillies play against Washington with Harper
c1234
Ok good sign then
Philliesfan4life
Hopefully this deal gets done, I think this would put them over the top of the braves and nationals, also if they sign keuchel.
Miguel Jr
Someone want this to happen to increase the chances of Fish Trout staying in LA next year! LMAO
chop246
I feel no one wants to play in philly
ruffintumble 2
That would be incorrect. The list of players the Phils have trotted out over the last 15 years is an impressive one.
scottn59c
Correction: the players the Phillies trotted out 15 years AGO were impressive ones.
ruffintumble 2
They don’t count? Thome, Lee, Halladay, Oswald, Pedro, Papelbon, Ibanez, Polanco, Howard, Utley, Rollins, Hamels, Victorino all chose to play in Philly. McCutchen, Robertson, Segura and Realmuto seem quite happy. But hey, opinions trump fact.
scottn59c
The guys at the top of your list were all excellent players….many years ago. Philly has been rebuilding, and that’s been a major detractor for many free agents. The guys at the bottom of your list went there not for Philly’s club but because that was where they were offered the most lucrative contract. If Harper ends up in Philly, it will be because they paid him top dollar, and it will likely be with some unspoken reluctance because Philly has sucked for over half a decade now.
terror661
Cody Ross ended an entire race of Phillies. Amazing.
Pressfocus
Wherever Harper signs it will be because they paid him top dollar. Yes, Philly has been rebuilding for the past 5 years. At least they’re now built to win.
Syndergaarden Cop
@ruffintumble Yeah, Lee Harvey was really fantastic .
ruffintumble 2
Lol! “Lee Halladay Oswald”! I guess my phone autocorrects “Oswalt”?
kzw
And AJ Burnett left millions on the table to leave and go back to Pittsburgh.
ruffintumble 2
That’s the case with any team, really. Losing isn’t very enticing. The Yankees couldn’t even get the bigger free agents in the 80’s (aside from Winfield and Henderson).
I just get bent out of shape a bit when people assume the franchise is garbage or undesirable or the city is a complete cesspool (about 25% of it is actually beautiful….). They’ve always been amongst the most loyal franchises in sports. An example of that is Halladay’s wife not wanting him to go into Cooperstown wearing a Jays cap (which he absolutely should be wearing); the Phillies have treated them so well over the years that she wants him to go in without a logo because of the respect the family has for the Phillies organization. Also, Philly may not be the best City in the country, but South Jersey is a beautiful place to live (despite high cost of living). I would guess 90% of the pro athletes that come through town live there and a fair amount of them stay after retirement or keep a home here.
ruffintumble 2
Somehow they pulled it off against a far better team on paper. Kudos to the Giants.
ruffintumble 2
Anecdotal evidence. No one claimed that every player was dying to play in Philly.
Marc (Phillies Phan)
I have to agree – 10-15 years ago everyone wanted to play in Philly. They have to win some more to not “overpay” free agents right now. With Kapler and Klentak there right now, I don’t know if they could win without the big names – and I sometimes wonder if we had the Yankees’ roster how much Kapler and Klentak would destroy it. I don’t want Harper or Machado on my team, but it will take them to sign now, for others to want to play there. Until Middleton spends stupidly on a new GM and manager, I hold no hope.
…And yes, Cody Ross did end the Phillies. Who’d a thunk?
Polish Hammer
A hitter would want to play in that band box. Harper would fit in well in Philly, hope he does sign there.
VonPurpleHayes
Phillies are an extremely young team with lots of young talent, but unlike some other young teams they’re in win-now mode. It’s a pretty unique situation that gives the team a large contending window. (There are other teams in this situation of course.)
Now at the end of the day, I think any free agents main motivator is money, but the ability to compete for multiple years is certainly appealing. The Phillies can offer both. Win win for Harper.
ruffintumble 2
People somehow think the Phillies have had trouble signing and keeping players in Philly over the last 15 years. There’s absolutely nothing to suggest that Philly isn’t a premier destination for pro athletes. Let’s stop with the nonsense.
Corazon5
I’m pretty sure this is like the 10th time his market has ‘intensified’ so forgive me for not holding my breath
dugdog83
Like the JT trade
James1955
Rumors are something to pass the time Rumors are wrong most of the time. “Phillies are the favorites, market has intensified.”
potter23
I’ll believe it when I see it.
megaj
Just pointing out a worthless Heyman tweet and saying something that has already been said a 1000 times gets your story posted on MLBTR? He didn’t even use any originality, even repeating the tired “shockingly” line we have seen a dozen times. Must be one of Tim’s friends.
nonadhominem
I know. What’s with the “shockingly” narrative.
These guys want 300+million.
Anyone who is shocked that teams have been reluctant to go that high has no perspective.
gooddumps
The gavel’s out — going once, going twice…..
John Kidd
Breaking news Bryce Harper signs with Cleburne Railroaders. Team says he will hit behind Rafael Palmiero.
FishyHalo
Harper to Philly
Machado to WhiteSocks
Boring Winter, everyone kinda knows where this is ending. I guess the anticipation is, are we all right?
LosAngelesAngelesAngelesAngels
I would have never guessed that Harper, Machado, Keuchel and Kimbrel would still be in the open market a week before Spring Training.
VonPurpleHayes
Not comparing Arrieta with those four big names, but Arrieta signed in March last year. Unfortunately, I think this is a disturbing trend in FA that will lead to a strike.
LosAngelesAngelesAngelesAngels
Can’t say I disagree.
megaj
Yes, the owners should definitely strike if this continues. These tactics by agents to drive up prices has gone on long enough. Give me break with the “strike” talk. Do you have any idea the ramifications that would have? Fans are sick of it already, they will lose half their fan base if that were to happen.
DadsInDaniaBeach
Fans will revolt, but the strike winds have been blowing for some time..
VonPurpleHayes
I’m not saying I’m pro-strike or anything, but to the writing is on the wall. Fan revolt or no.
doxiedevil
How about 10 years, 340 million, 10% of gate, 5 % parking, 5 % concessions and 5 % ownership in the club. Sounds fair, that should sooth any ego.
dugdog83
5% concessions is just ridiculous.
braveshomer
lol yeah, that’s the breaking point ahaha
bobtillman
The Yanks offered CC 5% of concession revenues, but he wanted 5% of the concessions instead…..
AtlSoxFan
That mightve been the sox with sandoval you’re thinking of
El Kabong
…with unlimited mustard and ketchup.
Cat Mando
I would still rather have Manny at 3rd to shore up the infield D, plus he is more consistent at the plate.
DadsInDaniaBeach
Cat, I know I’m in the minority, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Phillies still in on Machado if they do in fact sign Harper.
Cat Mando
Both would shock me
batty
Oh Heyman, try reporting something new.
Foreveryankees
Harper has bust written all over him!! Yankees are wise to stay away!!
dugdog83
Wise or financially screwed for years cuz of Stanton?
dirtydan
How so?
Polish Hammer
Yeah nothing says bust and talent going awol that a kid that dropped out of high school to get his GED and get drafted a year sooner and then fly through the minors to find major league success at a very early age.
Ryan W
Ahhh exclamation!!!!!!
drcliffk
hitters, either for average or power, seem to suffer when they change their mailing address to Philadelphia. Don’t know why that is? So Harper does scare me but so would any hitter P’s sign.
Grizalt
End this already!
Solar Flare
I agree, as do many other people. Many also feel the same about the Machado rumors and many felt the same about Realmuto and I’m sure they feel the same about Keuchel and Kimbrel rumors.
bobtillman
Nats get him on one of their deferred contracts….$1,000,000 a year for 400 years…….
kodiak920
Good one!
braveshomer
Bobby Bonilla would be proud
depressedtribefan
this is ridiculous… just sign already
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
I would be shocked at this point if Harper didn’t end up a Phillie and Machado didn’t end up a White Sox. Both have been subtly hinting as much over the past couple of weeks. As much as I would love for the Padres to get Machado, it seems unlikely. Both players want not only the money, but also to play with a team that has a strong national market (which means more money and, perhaps more importantly, fame). San Diego does not have that capability. I hope I am wrong about Machado and he does sign with San Diego.
Philliesfan4life
Harper for philly , machado to the white sox or padres. And the yankees get burned for not getting machado.
ctguy
Yankees didn’t get burned. They haven’t made an offer for the years or dollars that Macado wants. That’s hardly getting burned
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Agree 100%. I think Harper could stay a National, but I think he wants change. And Machado is more of a wild card, but keeps wearing the darn White Sox colors around.
outinleftfield
Yankees colors
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
I guess those could be Yankees colors, though he has worn more explicit White Sox gear than Yankee gear.
ChiSoxCity
White Sox logo on baby shoes.
Tazdad22
You got your wish! Congrats! Machado to San Diego, ten years for 300,000,000.
braveshomer
Phillies seem to be bidding against themselves but if they win…I bet its Phil’s, Nats, Braves, Mets then Marlins to round out the division this season
christian18cutshaw
Get the hell outta here what kinda braves fan are you
braveshomer
an Objective one… slightly pessimistic I’m sure but ultimately Objective. Of course I hope I’m way off, but just simply judging the off season leans that way doesn’t it?
christian18cutshaw
No. It doesn’t at all
petfoodfella
So, other teams added (no Harper/Machado yet) to catch the 90 win Atlanta team. Come on.
Braves will be first or second, Wild Card at worst.
braveshomer
3rd place can still get wildcard. Do you really think 90 wins will win the division again tho? We played great the first 6 weeks but played mostly .500 the rest of the season coupled with a Phills collapse, and underperforming Nats and Mets allowed us to run away with it. Obviously I hope we repeat because summer time is way better when we win. But I am the only remembering the bullpen walking everything under the sun plus a starting pitching staff that almost never past 5 inning. What have we done to improve that thus far?…we picked up a great hitter but I think the Braves are banking a tad bit too much on another season of growth when it comes to pitching
christian18cutshaw
We have 3 young stars that have a higher potential that hasn’t been nearly touched than any players our rivals have added. Acuna, Albies, and Swanson. Plus we added Donaldson which could very well be a lot better than Harper. And likely will. If those three youngsters and Donaldson play to their potential the I don’t care if PHI gets Harper and Machado they still don’t stand a chance against ATL. Swanson is no name to sleep on this year. I truly believe he was breaking out last year right before he got hurt.
Best case scenario, offensively we could be great next year if some players bloom and take the next step and others play to their potential.
This is best case scenario in my eyes.
Inciarte .295/.360/.400
Donaldson .285/.380/.550
Freeman .315/.400/.530
Acuna .300/.360/.585
McCann (healthy) .250/.320/.500
Albies .285/.345/.500
Markakis .290/.375/.420
Swanson .305/.350/.450
Of course this is best case scenario topping out what I think each players potential is.
I believe we have 3 guys that can easily top 30 homers.
4 others getting close to or topping 20
And every one in the lineup capable of topping 30 doubles.
I’m not worried at all about the Braves passing on that big RF bat. I will be upset though if they don’t do something to upgrade the pen though. (Kimbrel)
With the rotation depth and offensive potential I think there is no way we finish lower than 2nd in the east behind the Nationals. But I got us taking the division and making a series push in the post season.
christian18cutshaw
We have better than Harper and Machado in Acuna and Donaldson in my opinion.
El Kabong
The Braves are not going to have five players with slugging percentages of .500. My guess is only Freeman, though his power numbers were down in 2018’s second half. Acuna is a great talent, but don’t be surprised if he takes a step back in his second season. There are many examples of this happening. Look at Cody Bellinger a year ago. Baseball is a difficult game to play. The road to stardom does not go in a straight line. Always expect peaks and valleys, especially with young players who have yet to master the art of plate discipline. Acuna had 123 strikeouts and just 45 walks in 2018.
VonPurpleHayes
I still think the Braves are the best balanced team even if the Phils get Harper. But this division is insanely competitive right now (even without Harper).
Philliesfan4life
if the phillies add harper and possibly keuchel, I think that puts them over the top. While Machado will prolly sign with the white sox or padres.
oldleftylong
Everyone dreams to play in SD or the South Side of Chicago.
DadsInDaniaBeach
I keep seeing commenters write that..Where do you get that from..beyond stupid…
Bravos must be worried, huh?
braveshomer
Anything you’ve seen that proves otherwise? Beyond stupid how?…seriously want to know how that thought process could be wrong. Right now all we can do is judge who wins the offseason; that’s all anyone can do. Of course winning offseason doesn’t mean anything and I hope I’m wrong but nothing’s guaranteed for any team correct?
ATLbravos
I fully agree with you, but I have the braves 4th. 1-3 is going to be a battle for sure. Braves fans are praying on a “IF” from Donaldson. People forget we won 90 games last year bc of a weak division. I guess they didn’t watch us get beat by every team out of it. just seen a guy say swanson is going to hit .305 lolololol. next year wont be handed to the braves like last year. And at the end of the day, how do we compare to the dodgers? I don’t care about division titles, the goal is to win a world series.
Gary White
As long as he doesn’t end up in a Cardinal uniform and weight down there options in the next 10 years I don’t care where he end up. Let’s just get to summer already.
chippahawk
Oh sick!
Toronto called and they want their AA back..
Enjoy the scenery of wanting a championship Philly and going for it.
RunDMC
From a Braves fan, I’d much rather see PHI sign Harper than Machado. PHI bent over backwards to get Hoskins and his (-3.6 dWAR) out of the OF, so it’d be nice to see Harper and his -3.2 dWAR stroll right back in. He’ll need to hit a lot of HR to make up for it. And it’ll be interesting to see if it makes PHI any more enticing to Trout (in 2 years).
petfoodfella
I just want Harper to either be a Brave or out of the Division, or the NL all together.
acmeants
No on the Braves. Not a good fit. Mark my words. Wherever he signs, Harper will suck all of the air out of the clubhouse.
RunDMC
Why? They cannot seem to win a playoff series with Harper, even with one of the best rotations in MLB. Sure, they won a few divisions while ATL, PHI rebuilt and MIA, NYM remained stagnant. Now that’s changed – so let’s see how much of a threat WSH will be. Let PHI take Harper and soak up all that stupid money.
chippahawk
Agreed..
Phillys payback for taking Werth and then being stuck with his injuries at the end.
Phillies lineup getting lit!
Braves needed a LEGIT cleanup in the worst way, otherwise we have acuna, jdo, and freeman 123 than hope for a double from a slowwwwww cleanup hitter with Crap for pop..
If there was time to make the Braves one scary lineup Harper was the key no doubt..
Nevermind still not out of it I see.. Cmon AA make me a believer, make my day! Put us back out front and we will deal with the rest from here easily.
VonPurpleHayes
I prefer Harper to Machado in Philly. I’m actually a fan of Franco at 3rd and I think the offensive OF upgrade Harper is over Altherr/Williams/Quinn is a great need for Philly. Don’t get me wrong Machado is a huge upgrade over Franco, but Altherr and Williams give you absolutely nothing on offense. Franco was at time the Phillies best hitter last year; not saying much I know. Franco’s defense leaves a bit to be desired, but he wasn’t as awful as people make him out to be. I really hope the Harper rumors are true and the Phillies roll with Franco as opposed to all the Machado and Moustakas rumors. With this new improved lineup, I can see Franco’s offensive numbers really improving.
All this being said, this is just more speculation. We know nothing. I can see Harper signing with any team.
El Kabong
VonPurpleHayes, tremendous off-season by them. Acquiring Segura is the best trade anyone has made. Huge upgrade at SS.
nonadhominem
The Realmuto trade was huge too.
They “bought” one of the three best position players available this offseason.
The cost was in one MLB player and two prospects.
El Kabong
nonadhominem, Absolutely. Big improvements up the middle. I’ve always been a believer in building teams that way. They are going for it, as opposed to a team like the Mets halfway going for it. I can see the Phillies further tinkering if/when the Harper signing happens. Gonna be a real good team. Harper will affect things up and down that lineup.
Z-A 2
Cool story bro
VonPurpleHayes
Thanks for that enlightening reply. Changed my worldview.
Z-A 2
You be you brah.
jd396
Cool schtick bro
VonPurpleHayes
And you be you. Peace and love.
LosAngelesAngelesAngelesAngels
Warm Sentence Sis
nonadhominem
As a Phils fan I don’t want either if these guys along with the certain albatross of a 10 year contract.
They already acquired one of the three best players available this offseason and have improved a lot.
I wouldn’t offer more than 7 years for either of them.
If I don’t get them? Ok.
VonPurpleHayes
I think these guys (Harper/Machado) are young enough for 10 years contracts to work.
10 year deals are scary and often don’t work out, but A-Rod’s deal with Texas is the example I use for a successful long-term deal. I think Harper and Machado have a chance to match that, but of course there’s huge risk there. I agree.
El Kabong
DH is coming to the NL soon. This will help the Phillies ride out the latter part of the 10-year deal. Dodger fan in the Philly area. I will be going to plenty of games annually if they land either guy. I might even root for them a bit for not participating in the obvious collusion.
nonadhominem
I would prefer Machado to Harper anyway.
If the Phillies give an inconsistent player like Harper 10 years then IMHO they’re playing with fire.
El Kabong
Inconsistent? You will love Harper hitting in that ballpark. His best years are still to come.
nonadhominem
Yes, year to year Harper has been inconsistent.
If you look at his track record, he is EXACTLY that.
7 years in MLB. One monster season of 10 rWAR. Of the other 6 seasons, 3 were below 4 WAR and 3 were above. But only 2 were above 5, yet the same number were below 2.
That is NOT the track record of a consistent player.
It’s why I prefer Machado. He may not have the upside as a hitter that Harper has, but being a very superior defender he’s going to be a better bet to add value every season.
I am a Phillies fan, and if the Phillies give him a contract of 10/300+, they will regret it.
El Kabong
He is not being paid just for what he’s done in the past, but for what he is expected to do. It comes down to talent evaluation. I totally understand your concerns. As a Dodger fan, I had similar feelings when they were linked to Harper. And I would also prefer Machado, who has never struck out more than 120 times in a season. Either player should make a huge impact over the first half of a 10-year contract. The Phillies deserve credit for getting one of them along with the other moves they’ve made. I would rather have 10 years of Harper than six years of Patrick Corbin.
nonadhominem
I acknowledge your point, but, again, the inconsistency gives me pause.
It tells me that even during the first half of the contract that you cite, he’s only likely to be worth the contract half the time.
El Kabong
Or he may fully develop into the masher scouts have projected him to be. It’s a reason we watch the games. To find out. Living here in the Philly area but not a Phillies fan, I will go see them quite a bit more if they land one guy or the other. It will be nice having a top team in my backyard.
socalsoxfan78
In other news, Air is dry, and water is wet.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Wrong. Tell that to people living in San Francisco, Seattle, Bellingham, Port Townsend, Portland, OR. Air is not dry. And water is not always wet in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Denver, Buffalo, Chicago, Flint, and Boston, Detroit, and Burlington.
dugdog83
10 people say that every post. Get some new material socal
knuck2
Actually water isn’t wet at all. It makes other stuff wet.
BrewersMVP08
pretty sure these writers are just making things up now, just to put an article out there.
SupremeZeus
Fabulous kabuki theater. Boras & Hey man can really spin a yarn. Philly has been the only serious suitor since Harper rejected the Nats offer.
Norm Chouinard
This is just the latest press release from the Boras Corp which may mean anything or nothing.
chitowninwi
Don’t forget that Boras will contact the Cubs before any signing !!
I hope not he’s overrated !
BrewersMVP08
the cubs were having serious internal discussions of if they could afford middle of the road bullpen arms. their payroll is one of the tighter ones right now from all the awful contracts they’ve given out. harper is not gonna be a cub
kodiak920
Oh sure. Just like he will contact Ted Lerner before any signing, and the Giants, and any other team interested.
Central Valley
It’s going to be a long year for us Giants fans. I knew Harper wouldn’t choose SF.
terror661
It’s for the best. It’s all good.
Balk
Thank the stars and hope he doesn’t sign with the Giants. I don’t see great things coming for Harper in our stadium. Now Trout? That’s who I would put that kind of money into!
scottn59c
SF gave him a crappy short-term offer. Can’t blame him for holding out for more if he knows he can get it.
terror661
What was the exact offer? Because no one knows. I heard they offered him SF property and a contract north of 7 years with lots of player options. That’s a bad short term offer? I don’t think so…
scottn59c
I don’t know what they offered him; But I do know it wasn’t > 300 million/10 years.
terror661
Yeah it’s not that. But 7 years is not a short term contract but compared to 12-13 years it is no doubt.
R.D.
Manfred keeps trying to adjust mlb rules and pace of play but the off-seasons he has lorded over have honestly been an embarassment. Fix the market, add a bottom cap to keep teams from completely tanking and maybe 1/3 of mlb teams won’t be rebuilding ghost lands.
Cat Mando
R.D.
A floor has been proposed multiple times beginning in the 90’s and rejected each time. A “world-wide amateur draft (all amateurs would be subject to the draft, not just those from the US, Puerto Rico and Canada)” was proposed in 2002 and rejected.
Most of the things people propose on comment boards to “fix the game” have already been brought up and rejected. It’s very doubtful a floor will be approved by the owners without a cap, and the MLBPA won’t accept a cap
batty
A floor cap really wouldn’t keep all teams from tanking. Don’t get me wrong, i believe there needs to be a floor cap. But what may well happen is, teams that go into full rebuild/tanking would likely hand out just enough 1 year contracts to older veterans on low AAV’s that they’d pay little dividends for fans to pay to see.
Polish Hammer
Nothing’s like breaking camp and already knowing the majority of the teams have zero chance at the title. Then they can’t even trade their draft choices. Somehow caps and trading picks works for every other league but MLB always has catered to the big boys so we’ll continue to have the haves and have nots…
Vedder80
He can’t add a floor without opening the collective bargaining agreement to change, which the owners would never let happen. If a salary floor comes, it comes under the next collective bargaining agreement and no sooner.
James1955
RD. There are not very many good athletes. You have a few good teams and a lot of bad teams. The CBT is a salary cap. You probably want other teams to have a cap and you want your team to go over the cap, With the salary floor, do you want to see washed vets on 1 year contracts, while a team is rebuilding. If you don’t like sports, don’t follow sports.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
While I have no affinity for Boras, he is simply matching the strategy of the oligarchic owners to get top market value for his client.
VegasSDfan
I will call the Dodgers at 8/300 with two option years for the Dodgers. Harper cant opt out after the 3rd year.
BlueSkyLA
Keep making that call and you will always go to voicemail. Anybody who takes more than a superficial look at the Dodgers knows they were never seriously interested in Harper.
mike156
Heyman saying a Boras client’s market has “intensified” leaves me with chills of anticipation.
I really doubt the Yankees are seriously in on either Harper or Machado. But we will see. I like Phillies for Harper and Machado for White Sox. Good for both teams, good for both team’s fans.
PiratesFan1981
And the Pittsburgh Pirates swoop in to make a blockbuster for Harper!
BrewersMVP08
then the edibles wore off
gmenfan
Interest in this saga has “deintensified.”
Pressfocus
Wherever Harper signs it will be because they paid him top dollar. Yes, Philly has been rebuilding for the past 5 years. At least they’re now built to win.
HubcapDiamondStarHalo
If Harper signs with Philly tomorrow, I’d get the team AND the date right in the pool I entered with a bunch of baseball pals!! For ONE DAY, I could be a Phillies fan…
kodiak920
Yawn…
terror661
And we are all acting like we didn’t know this would eventually happen… There was no market for Harper long term but a few teams so he played the Phillies for more dough and it worked. How much more dough? We will find out soon but, idk how anyone can act surprised. It will be fun watching Phillies fans go crazy when he has a bad few months. They treat their struggling players really well. And we all know Bryce is soft. Ask the Nationals manager who just was quoted saying he is happy he is gone because he, “dances to the beat of his own drum and was never a leader in the clubhouse….” Sounds like the same things all of his other managers who were fired said. It’s not a huge loss for any team who missed out and it’s not a huge WS winning gain for the Phillies. It’s just Scott Boras being a worm like he’s always been. Lol
radhippo
Angels 7years 220mil …..it’s over folks!!
Vedder80
If that’s all he signs for it won’t be in Anaheim. Plenty of teams who are consistently in the playoffs can match or beat that and would be happy to do so.
ctguy
Agreed. The Angels won’t make the post season again this year.
68tigers84
He walks too much, gets his bat taken out of his hands. Just look at his total base numbers, only had one season over 300tb. Just my opinion(which probably isn’t worth much).
HubcapDiamondStarHalo
You DO realize that the ability to walk often is considered a valuable skill, right? It gets you on base and is better than an out, in case you didn’t know…
68tigers84
Just saying that the walks limit his damage ability. Example: last two seasons(Harper, 125 xbh, 523 tb), (Nick Castellanos, 146 xbh, 611 tb).
Solar Flare
And there is a very good reason why he gets walked a lot, because he is extremely dangerous and pitchers hate pitching to guys like that.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Yes the walk is valuable, but 68tigers has an important point, one that has been noted by GMs and various sportswriters — Harper walks too much. Because of prolonged slumps throughout his career, Harper is more comfortable working the walk rather than swinging the bat. And pitchers, going off his reputation of being a still dangerous hitter, still show enough respect to allow that to happen. So really, you are both correct.
VegasSDfan
He is not going to the Phillies..
MetsFanaticDanny
It’s already been reported by several people that the contract is going to be 10 yrs & $310 million. Not bad.
Oxford Karma
Phillies should move on and sign Keuschel.
jdrushton
They’ll sign Kuechel after signing Harper.
Goose
Harper is a good fit in Philly. He and Hoskins could combine for 70+ home runs without too much trouble.
With the exception of McCann and Elsbury the Yankees have not spent any big bucks on any free agent since George died. The Stanton deal was perceived value and filling salary that came off the books. If the Yankees signed any position player at this point it might be Machado and let him play SS. Tulo is a stop gap at this moment and I doubt he can stay healthy.
My bet the Yankees will lose some payroll this season and prep an all in for Trout. He would upgrade their OF with Judge and Stanton being slow moving T-Rexs out there.
Vedder80
Trout is unlikely to ever leave the Angels. Moreno can afford him, and won’t want to be known as the owner who let a once in generation player walk. The only way Trout doesn’t stay in Anaheim is if he takes less money because he really wants out.
Philliesfan4life
If trout does leave the angels, he’s gonna head home to the phillies
Goose
@Vedder80 the Angels are in rebuild mode and the Yankees are in competition, plus all the endorsement money out of New York. Currently his agent is Chris Landis, who I don’t know a lot about. It is a question of does he want to get every dollar possible and will the union sway him because he is the biggest star right now.
If I had to bet on Vegas 60% chance the Yankees, 30% the Angels and 10% anyone else.
VonPurpleHayes
The Yankees will be spending big money to extend the contracts on their already talented roster.
Also not spending on free agents? Happ, Britton. Ottavino. LeMahieu.
Not sure what you’re talking about. I guess the narrative is that the Yankees should sign every free agent ever even when they don’t need to.
Goose
@VonPurpleHayes I said big bucks. Are you seriously putting Happ, Britton, Ottavino and LeMahieu in the same conversation as Machado or Harper?
El Kabong
It’s a matter of philosophy. The Yankees signed those four players for less than it would take to sign Harper and Machado. They are projected to win about 100 games. You can’t have everyone.
kodiak920
I agree with you. If George was alive, he would have probably signed at least one of Harper or Machado, and almost assuredly Corbin.
Vedder80
They can’t be that far in the lead or he would have signed already.
VonPurpleHayes
Could be starting a fake bidding war to up some teams’ ante. Harper has no reason to rush.
Vedder80
He had no reason to rush. Once February began he had every reason to rush.
Central Valley
Atleast the Giants will have a new scoreboard this year. Looking forward to seeing their out of shape, often injured players with no power, on that new scoreboard. Hopefully Zaidi finds a few gems . I trust Zaidi ….
I don’t blame Harper.
22Leo
Giants fans will be calling for Zaidi’s head before the end of the season
terror661
He hasn’t done anything bad so far.
54scooterb
Still think Theo gets the go ahead.
lefty58
Why?
Potpot106
Please just end the suffering
citizen
Judging by the stats of phillies of, looks more like developing players who regressed last year. Signing Harper is no guantee the rest of the Of will fall into line or Harper will put up MVP season year in and year out of a 10 year contract, And an expensive one. Even Harper regressed last year. Mccuthen seems more like the veteran option this team already has, but if philly wants to sell Harper jerseys and marketing, probably a better fit.
drcliffk
Phils fan as long as I can remember now at 80+ & it ain’t so until it’s really so. But this novella is nothing like what I go through with my favorite EnglishPremier League football team Tottenham Hotspurs. Team is 9th richest soccer club in world but owners are greedy billionaires. All during the open transfer (trading/player signing) season in the summer & month of Jan.tweets about who the Spurs were going to sign. Some real world talent. They’ve now set a Premier league record of NOT having signed a player for more than a year. You don’t know how pissed a collection of fans can be as Tottenham’s especially because team is doing very well, 3rd in league & in final 16 of European elite competition,, the Championship league. At least, finally, Phils are signing some talent & seem to be serious about one of the remaining big fish. Just think if they had been challenging in the division, kept promising to add yet never did, how up in arms we’d be?
Al Jab
Totenham is too busy with their overdue new stadium
drcliffk
second guy I’ve found who knows something/and is follower of Philly sports & Tottenham. Whats wrong with us?
nonadhominem
That’s easy. You must be mentally deficient or emotionally unstable, as no rational person would do Philly and Tottenham.
Of course, I’m a Fulham and Phillies fan so I know whereof I speak.
drcliffk
we are both suffering but you more so for it looks like Fulham’s going down. But I do love their grounds at Craven Cottage. That’s the way I picture ENglish soccer parks to look and not like the space ship that’ll be new home to Spurs.Good thing there is no relegation in MLB for the Phils might have dropped out the leagues all together during their many horrendous spells.
nonadhominem
Yes, the 30 year stretch from 1919 – 1948 was no a good one for the Phillies. They would have been relegated down more than one league.
b-rar
“Bryce Harper” has the same number of letters as “Jayson Werth”. Just something to think about.
22Leo
No, that is nothing to think about.
Strike Four
Werth was 32 when he signed with the Nats, Harper will be 27. Harper also has a MVP. Something to think about.
Strike Four
I’m guessing they will get Machado too, what was the name they were calling the money they had to spend around this year? Stupid money? Yeah, they might not have been lying.
Segura-Harper-Machado-Hoskins-Realmuto-McCutchen-Hernandez-Herrera is going to be insane.
lefty58
Philly or the Nats for Harper, loser gets Manny.
Gambit1193
Nats won’t make the slightest attempt at Machado
Bluemarlin528
If they are smart they wait for Trout…
proof2006
They’ll be waiting forever. 0 chance trout hits free agency.
franksouze
prong these two gonads – im tired of this protracted drama .
shane
If he signs with the Phillies for a reported $10 million more than what the Nats offered that’s a pretty big slap in the face. I realize that the Nats offer may now be off the table, but damn. Dude coulda been a legend in Washington.
neverbunt
Oh so Phillies are in the lead for Harper and he wants a long term deal? This is breaking news we totally didn’t know months ago
chesteraarthur
Obvious mouth piece is obvious.
Bryzzo2016
I really thought Bryce would sign w/ the Dodgers and the Phils or Yanks would sign Machado. That said, I can’t fault the LAD for not committing to 10 years. Those contracts become burdens. I actually applaud LA for not being desperate in spite of their fanbase being anxious to get over the hump. From a business perspective, Harper presents much more value to a team like the Phillies that don’t currently have a legit superstar to help market their product, as opposed to teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs, etc… that are stacked with star players.
In spite of a potentially bad contract, I can actually see the Phils getting a nice ROI from this signing, business wise.
22Leo
The Dodgers were obviously never really interested in Harper.
Bryzzo2016
I thought they were, especially after the deal they made with Cincy. But, yeah, at 10 years, 300 mil +, it’s not a smart deal.
terror661
I love this logic… Dodgers have 6 lefties that hit for 9 billion home runs already… “Let’s pay 40 million annually for one more, that will get us over the hump.” I really wished the Dodgers had.
22Leo
The only way Friedman would sign anyone to a contract like that is if Kasten ordered him to do so. They really don’t need another left-handed bat though. I think that whichever team signs either Harper or Machado is going to regret it anyway.
ASapsFables
Some good points although I still feel that the Dodgers dropped the ball in regards to Harper. The same argument with the Phillies could also be made in the case of the White Sox for signing one of Harper or Machado although that would surely cause some pain for a Cubs fan like yourself.
Btw-I had Harper going to the Cubs before they picked up Cole Hamels option and then the Dodgers after that fact. I also had the Yankees inking Machado. If the White Sox strike out on both FA’s, especially if they lose out to the Padres with the latter, they will never hear the end of it from their fans. That being said, I still maintain that JR and the FO will finally net a big fish in the coming days.
El Kabong
I’m a Dodger fan who is happy with the current front office philosophy. A World Series title would be great, but this team is being built to contend on an annual basis. Plus, I don’t feel back-to-back World Series appearances represent bad years. If the 162-game season has taught me anything, it’s patience. I don’t live and die with every single pitch. Different kind of fan, I guess. There are people who think the slumping player should be benched forever. But if you’ve followed the game for a length of time, you know that player will eventually come around. I like Friedman and Roberts as a front office/field manager combo. Great time to be a Dodger fan.
Jimcarlo Slaton
Rumor is all media outlets have colluded to eff with the minds of baseball fans.
Bryzzo2016
Haha, yep!
Jimcarlo Slaton
THE KINKS
“TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU”
I’m so tired
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for you
I’m so tired
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for you
I was a lonely soul
I had nobody till I met you
But you keep-a me waiting
All of the time
What can I do?
It’s your life
And you can do what you want
Do what you like
But please don’t keep-a me waiting
Please don’t keep-a me waiting
‘Cause I’m so tired
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for you
So tired
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for you
I was a lonely soul
I had nobody till I met you
But you keep-a me waiting
All of the time
What can I do?
It’s your life
And you can do what you want
Do what you like
But please don’t keep-a me waiting
Please don’t keep-a me waiting
‘Cause I’m so tired
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for you
So tired
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for you
For you
For you
geejohnny
Thanks for the effort….appreciate that. Now if Machado would’ve had the same effort in last yrs WS…….he may have been signed by now.
retire21
Thanks Ray!
impactrookies
That was great, I still downvoted you but that was epic! Definitely a downvote though.
tarheelfan
Phillies Sales staff have been called into work tomorrow on a day off. Look for an announcement Monday morning for Harper to Philly…
Jimcarlo Slaton
I believe you at least as much as Heyman, Bowden and Nightengale combined.
Rickeo02
Snore
James1955
It’s June. Harper unsigned. Phillies the favorites to sign him. 🙂
KF
Brevity and Clarity 101:
“Both the Giants and Padres have since joined the race for Harper, who, as of two weeks ago, had drawn interest from “at least” eight teams, Heyman reported.”
Could be:
“Per Heyman, Harper had drawn interest from “at least” eight teams as of two weeks ago, joined since by the Padres and Giants.”
geejohnny
I can see it now…….Machado, unable to beat the value of Harper’s contract will begin an extended sulk into spring training ultimately taking a one yr contract and doing it all over again next yr.
bravesfan
Braves sitting back doing nothing to that brutal bullpen while Mets and Phillies buy better teams… scary
Bryzzo2016
Yeah, the Braves offseason is puzzling. It seemed like their window is starting to open, I assumed they would spend this offseason and go to the next level.
petfoodfella
Spend on what? There are no real holes
proof2006
There must be some holes they won one game in the playoffs.
chippahawk
No cleanup hitter and no true ace but yea, who wouldn’t be scared of that..
El Kabong
Yes, but some players get better from one year to the next. There was no real reason for teams like the Braves and Dodgers to go on wild spending sprees. Just let their young players continue to develop.
Gwynning's Anal Lover
Silly talk
Gwynning's Anal Lover
The owners can build a significant wall across the border of Mexico if they didn’t sign Harper or Machado.
El Kabong
The wall is a moronic idea regardless of where the money would come from.
chesteraarthur
I agree, we need an electric fence.
El Kabong
Afraid of brown-skinned people, are you?
megaj
Has nothing to do with race or color genius. Educate yourself about borders and why countries need them before saying something stupid.
VegasSDfan
Least likely teams to sign Harper, Orioles and Marlins
Begamin
Dallas Cowboys
Michael Chaney
His contract will become the worst in the sport as soon as the ink dries
Robertowannabe
That long?? I say as he is signing it!
jimmertee
Who cares.
When one of them signs, I’ll care. Until then it is a waste of focus and typing.
Krampus
You just typed about this. Not caring, is not responding to the thread.
James1955
jimmertee. Practice what you preach. Not caring is not reading the articles and not posting.
dixoncayne
Please end it!
impactrookies
Unsubstantiated contract offer. Rest of career for majority ownership of the Lansing Lugnuts and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats! Who did I sign with??
mike156
Evolving, maturing, intensifying, ripening, culturing, simmering over a slow fire, flame-broiled, smoked, brined….Heyman has a gift.
BrewersMVP08
“market is still evolving”? lmao really? you mean 2 teams interested?
El Kabong
Fans are funny. They complain when their team doesn’t spend money to get good players, then also complain when they do spend the money.
James1955
Jimssouls. Not all fans. Complainers complain. Excessive complaints. Disagreeable, unpleasant person.
jonesadoug
Nobody wants that bum Manny. Costs too much wont hustle and plays dirty. Harper seems to get hurt a lot. Hes overrated also. Better off saving that 300 million.
bobtillman
And not a mention on the site about Refsnyder being invited to D-Backs camp (they needed somebody to wash the supporters).
whyhayzee
Why is it $30MM? Is it 30 million million? Why not $30M? I’m confused by the need for the two M’s.
nonadhominem
Learn your Roman numerals.
proof2006
MM is 2000 in Roman numerals…
Sky14
Thousand, thousand or million.
proof2006
Like I said below. That isn’t how Roman numerals work. Roman numerals use addition not multiplication
22Leo
30 million monies for the people person.
whyhayzee
I know its 1,000 1,000s. It just seems really pointless.
proof2006
It’s uses the Roman numerals M for 1000 except instead of adding like you are supposed to with them they multiply. It’s an accounting thing
Thronson5
Lol this if funny.
68tigers84
I thought it was some kind of coated candy.
yamsi1912
Don’t let this distract you from the fact that Hector is gonna be running 3 Honda Civic’s with spoon engines. On top of that he just came into Harry’s and ordered 3 t66 turbo’s with NOS’s and a Motec System Exhaust.
Coast1
Harper to Lakers confirmed. LeBron wanted him as a teammate and got him.
hopper15
Today was a just a reminder why I stopped following Heyman on Twitter.
Jnkns1
I think it would be great if nobody signed either one of them.
jorge78
Time for Boras to “inflate” the market via his media sources!
Gentlemen, hide your daughters!
zachgwest
I don’t know how more fair negotiations can be for a player. Auction them off on live tv like the draft!!!!!!!!!!!
martyvan90
I think this headline means “Boras still willing to take more Money”.
68tigers84
Let’s see, 10 years(300 million). Figure 2000 hits over that period, equals $150,000 per hit.
ThatBallwasBryzzoed
Just sign already to get your stupid money
Cat Mando
“Though few mention it, subtracting Harper, while it will cost 34 homers, a .899 career OPS and some amazing hair flips, would help any team improve its attention to fundamentals. When the most famous player on the team can’t go 10 days without failing to run out a groundball or overthrowing a cutoff man by 15 feet or throwing to the wrong base or being caught unprepared in the outfield or on the bases, it’s hard to demand total alertness from the other 24.”
‘“Write it,” one prominent Nats vet said.”
washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/how-can-the-na…
I would rather have Manny
tfranco
Harper actually concerns me more than Machado. People will point to Harper’s success at a young age, but it isn’t unprecedented. Harper is 26, so I looked at his stats for his last three years leading up to FA. I compared Harper’s age 23-25 seasons to all other OFs since 1960 in their age 23-25 seasons. Per FanGraphs.
Player 1: .262/.340/.493 with 91 HRs, .231 ISO, 121 wRC+, .355 wOBA, 10.5 WAR (3.5/yr)
Player 2: .267/.391/.505 with 87 HRs, .238 ISO, 132 wRC+, .375 wOBA, 11.2 WAR (3.7/yr)
Player 3: .246/.379/.532 with 113 HRs, .286 ISO, 132 wRC+, .385 wOBA, 10.2 WAR (3.4/yr)
Player 4: .279/.380/.499 with 85 HRs, .221 ISO, 131 wRC+, .378 wOBA, 21.6 WAR (7.2/yr)
Player 5: .286/.370/.516 with 85 HRs, .231 ISO, 138 wRC+, .386 wOBA, 7.2 WAR (2.4/yr)
Which one on this list is Harper, and which ones are Adam Dunn, Jay Bruce, Danny Tartabull, and Grady Sizemore? Actually, they are easy to pick out but the point is these are examples of why there is concern about Harper.
Player 1 is Jay Bruce. He averaged 1.0 WAR for ages 26-32.
Player 2 is Bryce Harper.
Player 3 is Adam Dunn, who averaged 1.2 WAR from 26-32.
Player 4 is Grady Sizemore. He averaged 1.4 WAR from 26-32.
Player 5 is Danny Tartabull. He averaged 2.0 WAR from 26-32.
Of the 40 OFs that played at least 400 games during 23-25 seasons and averaged 3-5 WAR/yr during that period, (34) saw a decline in their production. So those banking on Harper being more the 2015 version (10.0 WAR) vs the 2014 (1.1), 2016 (1.5), 2017 (4.7), 2018 (1.3) version will likely be disappointed.
nonadhominem
tfranco, excellent post. The idiots who think Harper is worth 10/300+ are ignoring not only comps, but they’re ignoring Harper’s own track record.
They think whoever signs him is signing a perennial MVP candidate. He had one monster year, but 4 of his 7 years he’s produced under 4 WAR.
That’s not the performance of a perennial MVP candidate.
Give me Manny. Let Bryce go somewhere else.
Cat Mando
nonadhominem…..give me Manny anyday as well. He is much more consistent and his splits are almost indentical. The Phillies infield D was pretty bad (I’m being kind) last year. Granted, some of it was Kapler’s terrible shifts as chronicled by Bill James Online here…. link to billjamesonline.com . If Kapler removes his head from his backside and becomes an MLB manager the addition of Segura and adding Manny would be amazing.
nonadhominem
Exactly.
Manny has had more seasons above 5 rWAR than Harper, and less below 2 rWAR.
He’s also had more seasons above 5 fWAR (4) than Harper (2).
He’s been a much more consistent player. Harper had one monster year. There are also questions as to whether the shift is going to hurt him a lot (Ryan Howard says “hello”).
If the Phillies are going to spend 300MM, please let it be on Manny.
Bertin Lefkovic
I predict that Harper gets 10/320 from the Phillies with opt-outs after years 3 and 7, and team options for each of the years 11 through 15 at $16MM per year with a $6MM buyout at any time that the team decides to decline the option, guaranteeing Harper $326MM and the largest contract in MLB history, and potentially reaching $400MM over 15 years if played out to the end. Those numbers should be sufficient to satisfy Harper’s enormous ego.
Once Harper signs with the Phillies, Machado is going to be SOL. If he truly doesn’t want to play on the West Coast, he is going to have to take whatever the White Sox are willing to give him or hope that the Phillies have another big contract left in them. I would not be shocked if they found a way to not only sign Machado, but Keuchel and Kimbrel as well. If they do, they will most certainly become my favorite National League team.
billysbballz
Wait for it, as soon as Phillies sign Harper at 10/325 at least 25% of bitter anti Hal Yankee fans will be crying poverty and demanding answers! The truth is if Harper gets that contract I have to admit that trading for Stanton last season may have been the right decision. Stanton owed approx 265 mill through 2028 (9 full seasons including this coming season) with an opt out after next season so to me even though Stanton truly clogs up this lineup as he really belongs in RF the Yanks did ok compared to what Harper is allegedly going to receive within near future. Too bad Stanton is not a left handed bat but we all seen what happens to left handed bats more then righty bats with this shift.
Begamin
As a Yankees fan I’ll be jumping in joy when Harper/Machado sign elsewhere. You on the other hand already sound salty about the Yankees and they arent even gonna sign Harper
dust44
I’ve been on record saying I absolutely didn’t want Machado. And that I wanted Harper on the Yanks. Payroll wise with all the young guys needing to get paid Harper is a luxury that they really don’t need. But would still b nice to add that premium power lefty. I won’t per say b jumping for joy as much as I will b ok with not spending now to extend the young guys in the next year or two.
drcliffk
Ps outfield pretty feeble. Not much power & usually (Machado was an exception) along with 1B that’s where you usually rely on run production. Harper would, on paper, really change that outlook.
billysbballz
What are you talking about? Where in my comment did I seem upset about yanks missing out on Harper? Where? Where? Please explain your idiotic reply.
myaccount
And idiots really didn’t think he could beat the Nats initial offer.
Shuda22
Sick of hearing about this tool
washington_bonercats
Someone is going to end up overpaying for Harper by about 50 million. Boras bought the magnums this year
64' Yanks
Steinbrenner is not going after Harper. As he already signed his outfield free agent Brett “No Hit, No Throw, and No Bunt” Gardner. Rumors are now true Hal is Cheap!
dust44
At this point I really do think the Yankees r a player in this. And I hope they do sign him and can trade Frazier for another starting pitcher. The 3 holes on the team r LF, 1B and the long reliever/spot starter. Gardner isn’t hateful but I’d like an upgrade. Voit and Bird r competing for 1B but neither is super inspiring. And who’s ur spot starter/long reliever? Chance Adams? Losiagna? Another young guy? Maybe packaging Frazier and Kahnle for a vet or a up and coming starter who can fill that 6th starter/LR role.
billysbballz
Why would we deal Frazier. Gardner is gone after season. Hicks maybe gone. Elsbury is a non factor. Flores maybe over rated at this time. We have zero outfield depth.
billysbballz
Here my Yankee wish list trade:
Stanton to LAD after waiting no trade. Elsbury to San Fran after waiving no trade. LAD send 2 prospects to San Fran. Yanks got rid of 44 mill and back under cap. Yanks sign Harper at 10/325 for annual avg of 32.5 with numerous opt outs.
Now no more clogged up DH spot and Harper can play all 3 outfield positions and maybe some first while giving you similar offense of Stanton and a much needed left handed bat.
nyy42
Have your dad explain to you why this will never happen!
ullnvrknw
Starting to look like a 1 year 35 million deal to the Yankees is coming