(Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Throughout this whole process, it seemed as though the Phillies have been the favorite to land Bryce Harper. The Dodgers have since entered the equation and have shaken things up. If you search Bryce Harper on Twitter, you see a lot of tweets from Philly. “F— you. We don’t need you anyway.” “If you don’t wanna be in Philly, f— you. You’re overrated .” I’m paraphrasing, but you get the gist of it.
The Phillies fans are pouting because Philly isn’t Harper’s first choice. We knew before all of this started Harper’s preferred destinations were LA or NY. The Dodgers especially make the most sense. He is a west coast guy from Las Vegas. He’s a 40-minute plane ride from LA, and the Dodgers have their spring training in Arizona. He gets the marketing and Hollywood stage if he signs with the Dodgers. Why wouldn’t any young 26-year-old sports star want to play in LA?
As the Dodgers have continued to sneak into the picture, the negativity from fans toward Harper has picked up. The only people deserving your negativity is the front office of the Phillies. If Bryce Harper doesn’t sign with the Phillies, you have no one to blame but the Phillies. LA might have the glamour and big market, but you know what the Phillies have? The Phillies have the money. After years of shedding big contracts and keeping payroll under $100 million, they set themselves up to be able to overpay for a guy like Harper. The owner said they would be willing to spend “stupid money.”
They have a chance to counteract his desire to play in LA with money. It’s obvious the Phillies haven’t touched the magic number Harper and Boras want. Otherwise, he would have signed with the Phillies by now. I don’t believe the Phillies are doing all they can to make this happen. Signing Bryce Harper is the difference between fighting for a wild card or contending for a World Series. They need to knock the door down and give Harper exactly what he wants. The sold-out ball park and playoff games alone will pay off that contract. If he ends up in LA, don’t blame Bryce. Blame the owner who said he would use his “stupid money,” but didn’t. After the terrible product they have given us the last six years, they owe it to us to make it happen. Don’t think otherwise.
