Where Will Bryce Harper Land in Free Agency This Offseason?
Washington Nationals star Right Fielder, Bryce Harper, is planning to test free agency in the 2018 offseason. However, the question is, which team would sign him for the money that he requested? It seems to be that Harper has plenty of options to choose from, with several teams interested in him. The teams include, the Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Philadelphia Phillies. First, let’s take a closer look into why so many teams have interest in the 25 year old Right Fielder.
Harper has posted a career batting average of .281, a .385 OBP, and a .515 SLG. Additionally, Harper has hit 168 career home runs, and his remarkable career continues playing for the Washington Nationals. Although Harper currently has a BA of .229, he has hit 18 long balls, .367 OBP, and .514 SLG and it is only the month of June. Not to mention, Harper won the 2015 N.L. MVP, along with being a 5 time All-Star. Now, let’s look into the teams that want Harper.
The Washington Nationals currently have Bryce Harper, however, they would not be the worst team without him because of young minor leaguer and spot starter, Victor Robles, who has a dynamic style of play. making him fit into the scheme of any outfield position for the Nats. Next, we have the Chicago Cubs, who Bryce Harper would be glad to play with because of friend who is from Las Vegas like Harper, Kris Bryant. Adding Harper would give the Cubs an edge over any team in the N.L. and therefore, they can definitely be in conversation for the World Series. Next is the New York Yankees, who have already built a young and lethal team with stars like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez. With the addition of Harper, the Yankees would most likely remain the most despised team, but they would also have the potential to be the best in Baseball. Now, we have the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been overwhelmed with injuries to Justin Turner(now playing again), Corey Seager(out for season with Tommy John Surgery), and Clayton Kershaw(in and out of the rotation). The Dodgers adding Harper would show to every team in Baseball that they are the team to beat in October, and that the N.L. should be afraid of the lineup they would build. Now, we have the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who already contain veterans that have postseason experience, and adding Harper would give them the edge over a few playoff caliber rosters. Pairing Bryce Harper and Mike Trout would also help the run support for pitchers such as, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Skaggs. Lastly, the Philadelphia Phillies are a team who have an abundant amount of young players who have no experience in October such as, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams, J.P. Crawford, and many more. Given the addition of Harper, the Phillies can depend upon him to lead their bats to the Fall Classic.
In my opinion, Harper is most likely to sign with the Washington Nationals or Chicago Cubs, both being postseason caliber teams that need him for an advantage over teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
