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Bryce Harper Wanted Philly Just as Much As Philly Wanted Bryce Harper

tbyrd
tbyrd3/04/2019 4:10 PM

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TBYRD IS BACK BABY and just in case you missed it, here is another Bryce Harper blog.

So despite what that Nightengale puppet would have led you to believe over these past 4 months of free agency, Philadelphia is where Bryce Harper wanted to be all along.

13 yrs – $330m
No Opt Out
Full No-Trade Clause

Bryce Harper is ready to call Philadelphia his home forever. And why wouldn’t he! Have you seen this awesome statue of the guy from Spy Kids in our beautiful city!

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Honestly, what an offseason. What a fucking whirlwind. I still feel bad for Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel and Adam Jones, 3 studs who remain unsigned, but that’s the breaks when you’re in the same free agent class as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. I was never one to get caught in the monotony of the baseball offseason rumors by writing blogs and retweeting bullshit. Yet, I firmly believed that this Phillies offseason would have been a complete failure if we didn’t sign Bryce, despite all of these excellent moves.

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Obligatory mention that Maikel Franco is in the best shape of his life.

J.P. Crawford, a former top prospect, who I am on record many times in 2016 and 2017 imploring the Phillies to trade him, was sent to Seattle for Jean Segura and his 18.1 career WAR. Fucking STEAL! Trading top prospect Sixto Sanchez for the best catcher in the game saves the Phillies multiple headaches come June when he starts complaining about elbow tightness. Fucking STEAL! Losing Jorge Alfaro and his All-Star potential and that beautiful left arm of Will Stewart hurts, but hoping for their success is futile. Just look at the Phillies player development in the past 15 years in Philadelphia. The years of Darin Ruf and Cody Asche are finally over.

The McCutchen signing kind of confused me at first. Signing a declining outfielder for 3 yrs $50m to a team with an already crowded outfield and future plans to sign another was weird. Furthermore, my faith in the front office was kind of rattled when McCutchen came out and said, “Did you see what they offered me,” when asked why he signed with Philly. How could we go wrong with Houdini? But McCutchen in the leadoff, JT in the two hole followed by Bryce and Rhys….someone call me a doctor because this erection is lasting way longer than 4 hours.

This wouldn’t be a true Tbyrd blog if I didn’t bash the Nats….How fucking dumb are the Washington Nationals! I have been saying this for years, been on podcasts blasting this franchise, but hearing the reports about the contract they offered Bryce is just laughable.

No moron would ever take this deal. Payments until he’s 60, or a hundred millionaire by the time he’s 40….thinking emoji face. I also think signing Harper was our payback for The Nats stealing Jayson Werth from us. If I am still bitter about it after all these years, and so are the Phillies. Let me go on the record that I finally forgive you Jayson Werth, you can thank Bryce for that.

Also, how could you not love the quote by Bryce about wanting to dig his roots in somewhere and make it a home?

Give me your tears Nats fans. I need them. I feast on them. I am Cartman and you are Scott Tenorman. It’s a shame that anyone is surprised Bryce wanted out of DC. He did a goodbye tour like the last week of the season basically telling all you Nats “fans” I’m getting the fuck out of dodge.

And you couldn’t be further from the truth about Bryce going for the money. There were multiple reports that Bryce turned down short term deals worth almost double what the Phillies will be paying him in cities that would make him a ROCK STAR and he also left a little more money on the table to bring a certain someone…*cough Mike Trout *cough….to Philly.

So kudos to John Middleton for having some balls and spending that stupid money he promised us. $25m AAV is fucking peanuts compared to some of the potential offers. Also, Bryce wanted years. He wanted franchise commitment and wasn’t in it for the short term gain. He also wants to team up with Mike Trout who will absolutely be denying any offer the Angels present him. I can’t imagine the temptation $180m over 4 may have been for Bryce. Being able to reach free agency again by the time your 30, sign a dumb Albert Pujols style contract, DH for the rest of your career and ride off into the sunset. What a gentleman.

Speaking of a gentleman, there isn’t a classier act in history than what Bryce is doing the late, great Doc Halladay. Changing to #3 and keeping the memory of #34 in Roy’s and his family’s honor is how it’s done.

A brief moment of silence for Roy….

Let’s pivot for a minute and give Mr. Stupid Money himself, Phillies owner John Middleton, another bravo for taking a page out of the Nick Saban recruiting playbook and bringing along the lady in his pitch.

That is how it’s done. Regardless of the money, Bryce is a person with a family who wanted to feel a special connection from his employer. Something big happened during the Middleton’s and Harper’s dinner in Vegas last weekend and that special connection will pay major dividends for any future clubhouse chemistry.

As for the rest of the front office, they weren’t my favorite people during free agency. I have heard from multiple sources that from the very beginning the Phillies valued Machado over Harper. Klentak and MacPhail didn’t want to go more than 8 with Harper. Middleton in response says FUCK THAT and fly to Vegas. Scott Boras knows he has all the leverage at that point, starts spitting rumors to Bobby Nightengale and suddenly the ask became 13 years. By Thursday, with the rumors really swirling about with LA and San Fran, Middleton gave the front office his marching orders and Boras his final offer of 13 years and the rest is history.

As it turns out, despite all the garbage we have said about the man and the contract negotiations going longer than we had hoped, Philly wanted Bryce just as much.

This is how a real fan base does it. Suck a dick DC.

As most of us know, Bryce Harper has always been a personal favorite of mine and my undying love for him is well documented.

Here we are. Finally. Reunited and home together at last. Honestly, I’m just glad something exciting finally happened to.a lowly Phillies blogger who has had to put pump out drivel about a mediocre team all these years. Philadelphia is a baseball town again guys and gals. Sell Out And Bell Rings.

Go Phils.


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tbyrd
tbyrd3/04/2019 4:10 PM