Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know Bryce Harper is set to become a free agent this offseason.
And though he’s having a down season, he assuredly will have many suitors, plenty of whom will be willing to pay top-dollar for the star outfielder.
The up-and-coming Philadelphia Phillies are expected to be among those vying for Harper’s services, and it appears Jayson Werth, an ex-Phillie who also played many years alongside Harper, has laid the groundwork in trying to entice the 25-year-old to take his talents to Philly.
Werth was part of the Phillies team that won the 2008 World Series and Sunday, after a ceremony celebrating the championship, the retired outfielder fielded some questions about his buddy Harper, and how he would pitch the Phillies to him.
And in answering, he kind of admitted that the conversation already has taken place.
What would Jayson Werth say if Bryce Harper asked him about Philadelphia as a free agent destination?
"I think he already has asked me about Philadelphia,'' Werth told reporters today.
So what did Werth tell him?
"Isn't that tampering?'' Werth said.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) August 5, 2018
Quality response.
He expounded a bit later, shedding some light on what their discussions were about.
In a followup to the Harper #Phillies free agency question, Werth did pass along his fondness for Citizens Bank Park to his former #Nationals teammate. "It’s a great place to hit,'' Werth said. "I’ve always loved hitting here. I shared that among other things about this place.'' https://t.co/eiNRSSzzbK
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) August 5, 2018
While having Werth in their corner certainly doesn’t hurt the Phillies, they already have a compelling case to land Harper. They are a top-two team in the National League East with some quality starting pitching and a young core that will be able to compete for years.
