The winter of Bryce Harper Free Agency is full steam ahead as we hit the 2018-19 offseason. The Phillies, White Sox, and Cardinals are seen as potential landing spots for Bryce in 2019. As we await Harper’s decision, we’ll take a look at each team and see which would fit him best.
Philadelphia Phillies (80-82)
Why would he choose the Phillies, you say? Two reasons: money and talent.
Philadelphia has set themselves up for a big offseason in 2018-19, thanks to a payroll featuring only about $62 million in guaranteed contracts, a mega TV deal, and a wealth of young, controllable prospects.
To accommodate their financial situation, the Phillies also proudly showed off their farm system this year. Players such as Aaron Nola, who posted a 17-6 record in a Cy Young candidate campaign where opponents hit .195, and Rhys Hoskins and Odubel Herrera also pulling their weight, showed the talent pool that Philly possesses.
This would be my pick for where Harper lands. It just seems like the right fit for him. He’d play in a ballpark that he’s on record saying he loves to play at. He’s hit .270 with 14 HRs in 50 games played there. Harper’s also looking to win now, and Philly is heading that way.
Now, with the recent $300 million 10-year debacle, I can see you saying “but Seymour, obviously he doesn’t want the money. Just look at the Nats recent offer.” With that, I’ll leave you with a question. Would you’ve re-signed with the Nats after the last six years of torture and incompetence (also the contract contained no op-outs)?
Chicago White Sox (62-100)
While it may not seem like a good choice at first, upon further investigation this could work.
Why would Bryce go to the South Side? Two words: “All his.”
The White Sox, over the years, have been terrible. There’s no way around it. They haven’t had a true superstar since Paul Konerko or a winning season that’s mattered since 2008. Bryce can impact White Sox in two ways. First, he can turn this franchise from the laughing stock of a severely weak AL Central into a contender in the AL. Second, attendance will boom, which in recent years, has troubled the White Sox. Harper’s the cure for there woes.
With most of their farm system in the league, improvement from their young core is necessary. Yoan Moncada actually drawing walks and Jose Abreu coming off a solid year offensively along with a young promising staff could help, and it doesn’t seem as far off as it should. The White Sox will have to convince Harper, not about the money, but the one or two more years of rebuild. If they can accomplish this, this is a definite dark horse.
St. Louis Cardinals (88-74)
St. Louis is coming off a disappointing season in which they went 88-74. While not a disappointing season to the naked eye, the Cards were labeled as serious contenders for the World Series, having 18-1 odds to win.
Due to Injuries and a manager not doing his job for the first half of the season, and it was one to forget. As the All-Star break ended, they went on a tear. With interim Manager Mike Shildt as the new head honcho and a revitalized Matt Carpenter who put up an MVP season until August-September, they made a run but fell just short, missing the playoffs by two weeks. The Cardinals are ready to compete now with a young and hungry core, adding Harper would only skyrocket their odds of winning it all.
The plus side to playing in St. Louis that many other big market teams don’t have is a media who isn’t bashful or into heavily scrutinizing players (a serious advantage over Philly). Any time a superstar signs a massive contract like Harper’s about to, there’s a target on his back. In St. Louis, however, there are fewer people shooting arrows at him. The Cards are a franchise that never rebuilds. They never tear it all down and never tank. They’re trying to win the World Series every season, which is all a player, especially one the caliber of Harper, can ask.
St. Louis could be a team that swoops in and grabs Harper from under everybody’s noses.