The Philadelphia Phillies signed Bryce Harper in 2019. However, he recently spoke on his free agency and how the Chicago Cubs almost landed him.
Harper signed a 13-year, $380 million deal with the Phillies. The Chicago Cubs had a chance to sign him, and Harper noted that they were a strong contender for him, according to The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney.
“Without a doubt,” Harper said while noting that the Cubs were the top choice for him going into that offseason.
Harper signed with the Phillies, obviously, and has been nothing short of spectacular. Since joining the Phillies, he has a .921 OPS and 157 home runs. He has also won three Silver Sluggers and a National League MVP Award. He has also been named an All-Star twice. However, he is still chasing his first championship. The Phillies made it to the World Series in 2022, but lost to the Houston Astros in six games.
The Cubs will have the opportunity to sign a superstar this offseason once again. They traded for Kyle Tucker last winter, and he is shaping up to be a player who could lead to a free agency frenzy like Harper’s. Tucker is a three-time All-Star and Silver Slugger and projects to earn a $500 million deal this offseason. However, unlike Harper, he has not won an MVP Award before hitting free agency for the first time. Harper noted that Tucker will have the opportunity to cash in if he hits free agency and does not sign an extension before the end of the season.
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“He’s one of my favorites in the league,” Harper told The Athletic. “He’s a big-moment player, a red light kind of player. It’s a lot of fun to watch the way he does it. He’s very impressive. It’s kind of weird to see a superstar player like that get traded from a really good team to another really good team. Great for Cubs fans. Great for the team.
“He’s got a really good opportunity next year to make some pretty good coin.”
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