Report: Bryce Harper “stumping” for Kris Bryant to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies
Major League Baseball agreed on a new CBA yesterday, ending a 99-day owner-imposed lockout. Baseball is back and MLB teams are now back in Free Agency mode with Opening Day set for April 7th.
Bryce Harper is wasting no time letting it be known that he would like to see his good friend Kris Bryant in Philadelphia this season. According to Jon Heyman, Harper is “stumping” for Bryant to join him on the Phillies.
Kris Bryant is one of those guys that can do it all and would certainly help address a number of needs for the Phillies before the 2022 begins. Bryant started last season with the Cubs but was then dealt to the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline, where he played third base, left field, right field, and center field.
Coincidentally, the Phillies need a left fielder, center fielder, and some insurance at third base if Alec Bohm can’t figure it out this season after a disappointing outing last year.
Bryant hit .262/.344/.444 in 51 games with the Giants, tallying 7 HRs, 22 RBIs, and an OPS of .788. He totaled 25 HRs and 73 RBIs last year, good for an OPS of .835, with a .481 slugging percentage. He’s a career .278 hitter, with a .880 career OPS, and over 200+ doubles.
Kris Bryant teaming up with Bryce Harper just makes sense.
It seems like Bryant is the obvious answer here for the Phillies. He’s a great ballplayer, he’s longtime friends with Bryce Harper, is a career RBI guy, hitting 70+ RBIs in 5 of his 7 seasons, and the Phillies can just about play him anywhere.
With many outfield options still on the board, including Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, it’s going to be interesting to see what Dave Dombrowski does to fill the holes out in the grass.
Bryce Harper is the king of pandering. He was the biggest advocate for #SignJT last offseason, and he even walked up to the plate last season with a “Kris Bryant” bat. The move is right there for Dombrowski to take, it all comes down to him landing the plane.
Bryant has been linked to the Phillies multiple times over the last few months, but it was reported that he wouldn’t sign a new contract until the lockout was over.
With the new luxury tax increasing $20M, Dombrowski has what it takes to get these stars to Philadelphia. If there’s one person that can land a star player in Philadelphia, it’s going to be Bryce Harper.
Mandatory Credit: NBC Sports
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