Bryce Harper sent two home runs way out of Citizens Bank Park in Game 3 of the divisional series, a massive response to his Game 2 base running blunder that led to an exciting, game-ending double play to win it for the Braves.
Guess what? You'll take a base-running problem in the divisional series 10 times out of 10 if the alternative is watching the action from the couch. Some MLB teams that could have had the star player find themselves in that exact couch-locked position.
Harper's Game 2 mistake is easily explainable. Philly was down and he got aggressive on the base paths to try to capture a moment of opportunity, assuming that Michael Harris II wouldn't make a hard catch and throw to tag him up at first base. It was a fine gamble when you look at the context of the situation.
He made up for it in Game 3 with his home runs that gave the Phillies a meaningful lead early in the game and the emotional momentum in the series.
Washington Nationals should have secured their star
The Washington Nationals have proven an ability to identify and develop young talent, only to lose their grip on it when player have the chance to go elsewhere. To credit the Nationals, they did win the World Series in 2019, so clearly they know plenty about building a winner, even if there have been disappointments along the way.
One of those disappointments has to be Harper, who the Nationals lost to free agency when he decided to sign with the Phillies. Worst of all is that it sounds as though Harper was entirely willing to return to D.C.
Harper said that he was hurt by the offer the Nationals gave him. In some ways, that's even worse than simply being straight up with the player and telling them it's just not a fit. Especially since Harper's agent, Scott Boras, represents some of MLB's biggest clients, was it worth leaving a bad taste?
Now, Harper is tearing it up just 140 miles away. It was the wrong move to not be aggressive in re-signing Harper in retrospect. Insult to injury makes it a worse predicament.
Yankees not even trying for Bryce Harper is maddening
Here are some players the New York Yankees signed, traded for, or extended the year Harper was available:
- D.J. LeMahieu
- Aaron Hicks
- Luis Severino
- Mike Tauchman
- Zack Britton
- Adam Ottavino
- Troy Tulowitzki
- James Paxton
Sure, that works, yeah? Not really. It's a mild mix of players compared to the alternative of signing Harper.
Since that season, the Yankees have not made it past the ALCS and have left fans disappointed year after year. Meanwhile, Harper could very well lead the Phillies to their second-straight World Series appearance.
New York has misfired repeatedly in the post-George Steinbrenner era, but none sticks out as a bigger shoulda woulda coulda than not signing Bryce Harper. The Yankees, having spent lavishly by trading for Giancarlo Stanton in the trade market, didn't punch in the high weight class for the following offseason's free agency. Surely, with the league's deepest pockets, the Yankees could have chased Harper if they truly wanted to, but they opted not to.
If we're comparing Stanton to Harper -- which doesn't feel entirely fair -- fans would prefer to have Harper, no question. Stanton has had hot streaks, but has dealt with slumps, injuries, and overall has been less a contributor to winning playoff baseball than Harper has been since signing with Philadelphia.
The Yankees have perhaps the highest expectations placed on them, and not signing Harper is a loss. It only makes it worse that they didn't really even try. Playing to win on the field begins with playing to win in free agency.
Frankly, Harper's locks, which would surely break New York's appearance rules, are way too good for New York, anyway.
Padres got the wrong star in 2019
The San Diego Padres have gone star-hunting since, but it's clear that their amalgamation of star power doesn't quite work. A complete absence from the postseason this year for a team featuring so many stars should be viewed as unacceptable when you compare the Padres on paper to some of the other teams that clawed tooth and nail into the postseason.
Instead of nabbing Harper in free agency in 2019, the Padres instead signed Manny Machado.
Both players are undeniably talented, but when signing a player of Machado and Harper's caliber, you also have to consider leadership and character. On the heels of a poor season for San Diego, multiple independent reports (see here and here) have cast doubts over Machado's leadership style or lack thereof.
Meanwhile, Harper seems to motivate his team and bring the tide up season after season.
It's unfair to compare work ethics definitively, but optically, Harper did everything he could to get back to his team and make himself an effective piece of the puzzle. He returned from Tommy John surgery in record time and even tried a new defensive position to make himself useful and implicitly display how important it was for each and every player to pull their weight.
Based solely on what we see and hear reported, that's not what San Diego is getting from Machado. The right leader can completely change a team's fortunes. Perhaps if yo uswapped Machado for Harper, there's a title in San Diego at this point.