Not sure how he's going to do it, now that he plays in Philly, but Bryce Harper was clear about his intentions on the day that he was introduced to the Philadelphia media:
Bryce: "We want to bring a title back to D.C." Oops. pic.twitter.com/4ygJdukIon
— Jake Russell (@_JakeRussell) March 2, 2019
Thanks, Bryce, D.C. surely appreciates it. Better yet, Philadelphia surely does not.
There's nothing like saying the name of your old city when you're trying to impress your new city. And Harper did his best to "aw shucks" the moment away in his next interview.
"I made that comment yesterday about trying to bring a title back to D.C.," he said. "I didn't even really notice it until my wife said something after the meeting...I was like, 'aw man.' I didn't even notice it.
"When you grow up from 17 to 25 inside an organization, and you're trying to do everything you can to win for that organization and bring a title somewhere, you're going to have those slip-ups. That's part of it.
"I'm in Philly and I'm very excited about it."
That's nice.
With Harper finally, officially gone, it's easy for anything written to sound like sour grapes. But what if Harper proves to be right?
By choosing Philadelphia, Harper has certainly not made the Nats' job easier for winning the division or competing in the playoffs. Unless something catastrophic happens, he will go to Philly and continue to be one of the best players in the game.
But the Nats were able to let him walk, in part, because of the talent they have already amassed in the outfield. They have every right to be quietly giddy about a lineup with Juan Soto, Adam Eaton and Victor Robles or Michael A. Taylor in the lineup. They would have gladly taken Harper in that mix, and may have even dealt Taylor or Eaton if Harper had chosen D.C.
There is a reason why Robles and Soto were reportedly untouchable at the trade deadline in recent years, even as the team was in win-now mode. Perhaps dealing Robles for an ace might have helped the team over the hump in the playoffs, but Mike Rizzo had to know that Harper leaving was always a possibility.
He insured the team against a monster dropoff at the position and can now reap the benefits. That's not to say that the team is better without him, but does he make the team $300 million better by staying? Probably not.
With Harper off the board, Rizzo can stay aggressive, as the team's front office was this offseason. There is money to spend on players at the trade deadline. There is money to retain an Anthony Rendon or another budding star.
That's surely not what Harper meant when he said, "We want to bring a title back to D.C.," but with him out of the way, that might be more likely than if he had stayed.
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