Phillies’ Bryce Harper named as trade candidate for Blue Jays, but it shouldn’t ever happen
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Phillies’ Bryce Harper named as trade candidate for Blue Jays, but it shouldn’t ever happen originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The Philadelphia Phillies have undoubtedly been among the most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball over the past couple of seasons, and that has to change.
It's unfortunate that Philadelphia has played at this level recently, but it doesn't look like it's going to change in the near future. The Phillies find themselves in a very bad spot because of some of the contracts that they've handed out.
There's also a side of the story that suggests the Phillies will keep struggling because they likely won't want to move on from certain guys, and probably shouldn't.
That includes superstar Bryce Harper, who has been among the best players in Major League Baseball over the past decade-plus. As for what Philadelphia could do with Harper, there's actually no reason to move on from a guy like that.
If anything, the Phillies should be looking to move on from others to improve around Harper.
However, others don't believe that's the case, with one writer recently suggesting that the Toronto Blue Jays should be interested if he becomes available.
“How aggressive will the Blue Jays be after missing the postseason? Great question,” Jake Elman wrote. “They’re possibly already regretting the Vladimir Guerrero contract given both his regression and the recent work ethic concerns. As of now, he’s the newest poster boy of why you don’t give players contracts exceeding six or seven years.
“So should that scare Toronto into passing on Harper? Not necessarily. If the goal is to keep up with the other four AL East teams, and especially the Yankees and Rays, then Harper is worth the risk — so long as he’s willing to play right field on the Rogers Centre turf.”
If Harper does become available, many teams across Major League Baseball will be interested in his services. For Philadelphia, that could be a good thing. Ultimately, though, the return for a player of his caliber at this age won't be what it could have been a couple of years ago.
It's better if the Phillies keep him around and try to build another championship-level core, though that's going to be a lot more difficult than usual.
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