Even before Mike Trout went hunting with Eagles rookie Carson Wentz, Phillies fans have been begging to bring the New Jersey native back to Philadelphia and play for the team he grew up watching.
Vegas thinks the Phillies have a decent chance to land a mega-star outfielder soon, but it's not Trout.
Per onlinegambling.lv, they give 10/1 odds Bryce Harper, baseball's "chosen one", dawns the red pinstripes in 2019.
Despite the perception of arrogance, Harper would fit great in Philadelphia. His blue-collar attitude is what Philadelphia fans salivate over.
The Yankees (10/3 odds), Dodgers (4/1), Nationals (7/1) and Red Sox (9/1) are the only teams given better odds to land Harper.
Harper is on pace to become the highest player in baseball history, and could easily surpass Gincarlo Stanton's 13-year $325 million contract he signed before the 2015 season. Scott Boras, Harper's agent, will aggressively work the market and given his track record it appears he will get Harper that $400 million.
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Vegas gives Harper an over/under of 599.5 career home runs. He has 121 entering this season which means there are a lot of homers left to be hit -- hopefully as a member of the Phillies.
The only question remains is why not the Phillies?
Contention
By the end of 2019 the Phillies will have a better idea of what their everyday lineup will look like. Maikel Franco, Tommy Joseph and Odubel Herrera have already locked down their spots. The outfield has a plethora of prospects ranging from Nick Williams, Roman Quinn, Aaron Altherr, and Dylan Cozens.
Brock Stassi, who has played first base for most of his minor-league career is being looked at as a utility guy that can play the outfield. He has hit .583 with two home runs this spring.
The pitching staff will have young, seasoned arms in Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vincent Velasquez.
The prospects for the middle infield have shown great flashes this spring. Scott Kingery has hit .375 with two home runs this spring. Top prospect J.P. Crawford has only three hits this spring but has played well at shortstop.
Cameron Rupp will compete with Andrew Knapp and possibly Jorge Alfaro for the starting catcher role. Knapp has not shown much this spring batting .111 while Alfaro has hit .250 with two doubles.
The process of getting these young prospects repetitions in the big leagues will be much easier this season, now that the Phillies have finally cut ties with their older core. By the time Harper becomes a free agent in 2019 he will be 26 years old with six years of Major League service, barring any injuries. A possible ten year deal will give the Phillies the prime years of his career.
The money
For the 2017 season the Phillies have a $102.4 million payroll, which leaves them in the lower third of salary cap among Major League baseball. Money was an issue during the beginning stages of the Phillies rebuild. The team is paying $23 million in retained salaries (money that is guaranteed to players who were released, traded, or bought out) - including Ryan Howard's $10 million buyout.
The Phillies benefit from the lack of MLB service from players like Maikel Franco, Aaron Nola and Tommy Joseph -- all who are not arbitration eligible yet. By the time Harper hits the market the team will still control the contracts of many of their prospects and current major leaguers.
This ensures the Phillies will continue to have low salary cap which gives them the ability to sign Harper, and providing him a lineup that will protect his bat.
The Bank
Citizen's Bank Park is considered one of the smallest ballparks in baseball and the dimensions greatly favor Harper's ability to hit with power to all fields. The left and right field porches are 330 and 329 feet from home plate, a pull-hitter's dream. The power alley in right is 369 feet and dead center is 401 feet.
In his first four seasons Harper clubbed 121 home runs, hit .279 and drove in 334 runs.
Now put him in a hitter-friendly stadium like Citizen's Bank Park and those numbers should inflate. In 35 games at Citizen's Bank Park Harper has a .300 average, 11 home runs, 24 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
Besides Harper, 2019 brings forward a good free agent class which includes Manny Machado, Joe Mauer, and Daniel Murphy.
The Phillies will not likely have a need for any of these All-Star free agents besides Harper. By 2019 third base, catcher, and second base will likely be locked up by prospects the Phillies are currently grooming, so it would not make sense to pursue any of the other top free agents.
