Ultimately, we found out that Bryce Harper would be a member of the Philadelphia Phillies on Feb. 28, 2019, butshould we have known 25 days earlier?
Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins tried to tell us, we just were filled with too much nonsense at the time to fully listen.
At the time, stalking social media seemed more like fake news than real reporting, but looking back, this was the moment we should have known.
On Dec. 28, 2018, Rhys Hoskins posted this on his Instagram.
On Feb. 3, 2019, Bryce Harper posted the same exact message on his Twitter.
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Loading... — Bryce Harper (@Bharper3407) February 4, 2019
We should have known.
When asked about it on Feb. 19, Hoskins was coy about the whole social media back-and-forth with his now-current teammate.
"I think that part has gotten kind of comical with people trying to make something that is nothing into something," Hoskins told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. "It's just not there. It's 26-year-old guys being 26-year-old guys and interacting on social media. That's what we do."
Oh really, Rhys?
So how did Hoskins find out about Harper coming to the Phillies? A call from Harper himself, of course.
Rhys Hoskins was playing with his dog yesterday when he got a call. It was Bryce Harper. pic.twitter.com/41LAPgy7mK — Matt Breen (@matt_breen) March 1, 2019
"Hey man, I'm on my way."
Hoskins burst on to the scene in 2017 with the Phillies and cemented his place in Major League Baseball with a solid 2018 campaign and an appearance in the Home Run Derby. He and Harper will both be 26 years old on Opening Day and Hoskins won't be eligible to become a free agent until 2024.
We've heard about John Middleton and Matt Klentak, flights to Vegas and dinners out on the town, but maybe a not-so-private friendship between two players entering the prime of their careers was there for us to see all along.
Sure, we're excited for Bryce Harper, but we're here for Hoskins, Aaron Nola, J.T. Realmuto, Andrew McCutchen, David Robertson, Jake Arrieta and the rest of the roster that will bring joy to the city of Philadelphia for the next decade.
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