Bryce Harper: This team was at top of list during free agency

What if Philadelphia Phillies All-Star first baseman Bryce Harper had signed with the Chicago Cubs when he was a free agent after the 2018 season?

It is a state of affairs that might have occurred, in accordance with Harper, who spoke with reporters earlier than Saturday’s contest between the Phillies and Cubs at Wrigley Subject.

“Going into that offseason, they have been the No. 1 workforce on my checklist,” Harper advised The Athletic. “Certainly.”

So why did not Harper signal with the North Siders regardless of the latter being a prime vacation spot for the the two-time Nationwide League MVP? 

Fairly merely, the Cubs by no means made contact with Harper’s camp, as a substitute specializing in attempting to increase their 2016 championship core that included third baseman Kris Bryant, shortstop Javier Baez and first baseman Anthony Rizzo. All three, in fact, have since left Chicago. 

Harper, then again, would go on to ink a 13-year, $330M contract with the Phillies, which has been a rousing success for either side. The 32-year-old led Philadelphia to a World Collection look in 2022 in addition to two extra journeys to the postseason in 2023 and 2024, the latter ensuing within the Phillies’ first NL East division title in over a decade. 

A championship nonetheless eludes Harper, nevertheless. Famously, the workforce he debuted with, the Washington Nationals, gained a World Collection in 2019, the yr after Harper left for Philadelphia. 

Would Harper have gained a championship had he signed with the Cubs? That a lot is unclear, though Chicago’s title-winning core would break up by the 2021 season after Rizzo was dealt to the New York Yankees, Bryant to the San Francisco Giants and  Baez to the New York Mets mid-season. 

So whereas the Cubs and Harper will (most likely) by no means resolve their unfinished enterprise, Chicago does have a second likelihood to lock up a unique lefty-hitting famous person this yr in outfielder Kyle Tucker.