What Signing Bryce Harper Would Mean For The Phillies

For years it's seemed possible, for months it's seemed likely, and for weeks now it's been more of a matter of when, not if, the Phillies would sign superstar free agent outfielder Bryce Harper. This weekend, Phillies owner John Middleton met with Harper's camp in Las Vegas, and the latest reports from USA Today's Bob Nightengale indicates that a deal could be reached as early as Monday afternoon.

Of course, anything is possible. But with Manny Machado now off the board at the record setting cost of a 10-year, $300 million committment from the San Diego Padres, virtually every other club known to be seeking Harper's services has bowed out. The Padres are reportedly still considering him, but most find that situation unlikely. The Chicago White Sox are out, and the Washington Nationals "haven't heard from Harper in months," per a report Friday from NBC Washington.

That leaves the San Francisco Giants as the only other team publicly known to be interested in Harper. They still want him, but aren't willing to give him the long term contract he wants. And now that they know he'll surely be demanding something even larger than Machado's record payday,

The Phillies will look like a playoff caliber team for the forseeable future

With numerous offseason additions in the books, the Phillies had already paced the additions made by their competitors in the NL East. As things stand now, the Phillies, the defending champ Braves, perennial contending Nationals, and the Mets all look about equal, with the Nationals having perhaps a slight edge.

Adding Harper to the Phillies would tilt the balance in their favor, of course. And it could very well make them the favorites to win the National League in 2019, and beyond.

Indeed, with Harper in the fold, the present Phillies starting core would have an average age of 27.9, as NBC Philly's Corey Seidman notes. Like the Cubs, Astros, Yankees, or Red Sox, the Phillies would have a team built to chase titles for year.

It's a lineup that would compare favorably with just about any team outside of the Yankees:

1. Cesar Hernandez 2B
2. Jean Segura SS
3. Bryce Harper RF
4. Rhys Hoskins 1B
5. JT Realmuto C
6. Andrew McCutchen LF
7. Maikel Franco 3B
8. Odubel Herrera CF

The outfield logjam would need to be resolved

If Harper signs, he'll be the everyday right fielder. Offseason acquisition and fellow former MVP Andrew McCutchen is already penciled in at left. That leaves five outfielders on the 40 man roster jockeying for one starting spot: Odubel Herrera, Roman Quinn, Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr, and Dylan Cozens.

Two of them could remain, one as the starting center fielder (probably Herrera) and one as the backup (Quinn feels like the favorite due to his speed, defense, and versatility). There's not room on the 25-man roster for more.

Cozens could float between Triple-A and Philly for another year, but with Harper, it's difficult to see where starting caliber, proven players like Williams and Altherr would fit in.

A trade for a pitcher would make the most sense, but the market in late February is dubious. Given the late stage of the still unresolved Harper talks, would the Phillies turn around and try to trade an outfielder or two before the season began? Would they send two or three to Triple-A and wait to make a move at the deadline? The former would surely be the organization's preference, but it could prove difficult.

Some pitchers who could be available, from teams that also need outfielders: Michael Fulmer (Detroit), Marcus Stroman (Toronto), Madison Bumgarner (San Francisco), Mike Minor (Texas), or possibly Trevor Bauer or Corey Kluber (Cleveland).

Future financial obligations

It might seem like the record contract Harper will probably receive — likely in the $350-$360 million range, per Jon Heyman — would hamstring the Phillies in some way down the line. But as things currently stand, that's not the case.

Matt Klentak's series of shrewd signings the past few offseasons have been strictly short term deals, meaning that for the 2021 season, the team will has only $63.7 million on the books, per Baseball Reference. For a franchise that's seemingly willing to push the luxury tax threshold ($206 million), that's quite a bit of wiggle room, even counting another $35 million a year on a potential Harper deal.

As things currently stand, for instance, there's nothing about signing Harper to a record deal that means that Phillies couldn't turn around and sign Mike Trout when he's a free agent after the 2020 season.

Ticket sales would skyrocket

Citizens Bank Park was busier last summer than it has been for years, but for a major market team that was battling for first place for much of the year, attendance was still underwhelming: 2.1 million, 12th out of 15 National League teams, and a far cry from the 3.5 million-plus that regularly graced the the park during the 2007-2011 golden years.

Harper, by all indications, would change that. He's the kind of player that fans paid to see when he visited a few times a year with the Washington Nationals. With Harper in Phillie red, expect Citizens Bank Park to be a much more intense environment this summer.

See related Phillies coverage:

• Phillies Land All Star Catcher J.T. Realmuto In Blockbuster Trade
• Phillies Sign Reliever David Robertson To 2-Year Deal
• Phillies Sign Former MVP Andrew McCutchen To $50M Deal
• Phillies Trade Carlos Santana, J.P. Crawford For Jean Segura
• Sooner Or Later, Phillies Must Address Roster Excesses