As much as it pains me to say it, the Washington Nationals are in the World Series. Today is also Bryce Harper’s birthday by happenstance. With all the connections between these two, there was going to be some backlash over Harper’s decision to leave the Nationals last offseason and join the rebuilding Philadelphia Phillies.
Across all social media today I have seen a myriad of posts trolling Harper and his decision to leave Washington and also at the Phillies for signing a career .276/.385/.512 hitter to a $330 million contract for 13 years. Here is why this signing was the smart decision for both franchises.
For the Washington Nationals, they would have loved to keep a figure as big as Harper on their roster (But not for what he and agent Scott Boras were asking). This was okay though for them as they had confidence in young talent such as Juan Soto and Victor Robles. They knew that departing from Bryce would be a challenge but that these young kids would provide more long term and cheaper solution, and that is exactly what happened. The stats for these two are as follows:
Soto: .282/.401/.548 with 34 home runs and 110 RBI’s
Robles: .255/.326/.419 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI’s
The Nationals were able to get a season out of Soto almost mirroring Harper’s career numbers and a rookie center fielder who looks poised for a long and productive career. All of this while their collective salary was just over 1.1million, allowing them to be able to spend in the offseason and acquire Patrick Corbin (the biggest leftie free agent last season), Jeremy Hellickson, Anibal Sanchez. These have become integral pieces to the postseason run they have put together so far. So long story short, I think all of DC is now quite okay with Harper moving on last season.
On to the Phillies, who just posted an incredibly disappointing 81-81 season. The definition of mediocrity. They were willing to spend 330 million over 13 years on Bryce Harper, and to me, they are still in a great spot for next season. Sure, maybe you think that Bryce Harper did not produce like everyone expected him to, and maybe that is true to an extent, but to say he had a bad season would be objectively false. Let’s take a look at his 2019 numbers:
Harper: .260/.372/.510 with 35 home runs and 114 rbis.
I personally will never complain about a 35/114 season where he also produced 8 defensive runs saved and a 4.2 WAR (wins above replacement). Was it MVP numbers, hell no, but it was an incredibly productive season nonetheless. It solidified an outfield with question marks coming into the season (most notably held down by the likes of Nick Williams and Aaron Alther who combined -1.5 runs saved), and generated a ton of revenue for the club (about 180,000 tickets were sold within 24 hours of his signing. Bryce Harper will be one of the biggest faces in baseball for years to come and the Phillies will be able to see all of those benefits materialize. By the way, Harper’s annual salary is only about 25million each season since a large portion was front loaded in a signing bonus. That 25 million is around the likes of Robinson Cano and Jordan Zimmerman.
Another thing to look at is the other signings the Phillies Made that offseason: JT Realmuto, widely recognized as the best catcher in baseball, Andrew McCutchen, David Robertson, Jean Segura and Jose Alverez. They were able to sign Bryce Harper and generate and complete offense and bullpen. Unfortunately during the season, injuries ripped that solid bullpen to shreds and the offense wasn’t as consistent as expected, but all around they were serviceable on a team that should have made the playoffs.
The issue for the Phillies became starting pitching, and that is where we are at today. Sitting at home watching the three headed monsters of Gerit Cole, Justin Verlander and Zack Grenkie get ready (as many believe) to face Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and Cy Young, sorry I meant Stephen Strasburg. Pitching is what is going to take any team to the next level, so 25 million/season to a great player who is one of the faces of the game is a great investment, but the Phillies need to recognize that the issue is pitching. So Gerrit Cole, if you’re reading this, get ready for a blank check from John Middleton this offseason.
Bryce Harper Is Philadelphia
All in all, the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies I believe both benefited from Bryce Harper’s decision in the 2018 offseason. Long term, I guess we will have to wait and see who makes the next best corresponding moves over the next 13 years.
