In the spring of 2019, Bryce Harper was the most prized free agent.
A Most Valuable Player and six-time All-Star in seven seasons, Harper had plenty of suitors. But the Giants were one of the two most formidable.
San Francisco reportedly met with Harper twice and offered the outfielder a 12-year, $310 million contract. The figure is a reminder that — although none have materialized — long-term mega deals aren’t completely out of the question for president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
Harper, then 26, chose Philadelphia — and the most security he could find. He inked a 13-year, $330 deal that has made him “the most underpaid $330 million man alive,” according to Phillies owner John Middleton.
As his Phillies own a 2-1 lead over the Astros entering Game 4 of the World Series, Harper has put together one of the most spectacular postseason runs ever. He’s already the first player ever to record six homers, six doubles and 20 hits in a postseason. His go-ahead home run against the Padres sent Philadelphia to the World Series and his first-pitch shot Tuesday set the tone in a pivotal 7-0 Game 3 romp.
Overall, Harper is hitting .382 with 13 RBI and a 1.232 OPS in 14 playoff games.
In an alternate universe, there would be no “Dancing On My Own” or clubhouse cigarettes in Citizens Bank Park. Instead, there would be a whole lot more Splash Hits into McCovey Cove.
The 2021 National League MVP could have gone to a Giant, not a Phillie.
Harper’s signature “Superman” hand motion could have revealed a Giants logo instead of Phillies script.
The Giants reportedly made a relatively late bid for Harper. In a 2019 interview with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Harper said that he and his wife, Kayla, had decided that they’d choose between either Philadelphia or San Francisco.
Except before even hearing the exact terms of San Francisco’s offer, the Harpers had made up their minds.
“In my heart, I was already a Philadelphia Phillie,” Harper told The Athletic. “It was nothing against San Francisco. They’re a great organization. It’s a great city. It just came down to what I felt. And by that point, it was Philly.”
Just how close did the Giants think they were to signing Harper? According to NBC Sports Bay Area, the Giants began preparing for Harper’s arrival for spring training at Scottsdale Stadium and Harper had reached out to players on the team to inquire what it’s like to have a family as a Giant.
In a 2020 interview on the Starting 9 Podcast with Dallas Braden and Jared Carrabis, Harper suggested that the Giants’ roster wasn’t the perfect fit for him.
“My fear with San Fran was all their guys are kind of done,” Harper said on the podcast. “Posey was going to be gone possibly, or he was going to move to first base. Belt only had like two years left (on his contract) so he was going to be gone possibly. Crawford, where was he going to be? He’s a great shortstop.”
Posey, Belt and Crawford, of course, combined to lead the magical 107-win season in 2021. They certainly weren’t running on empty in 2019.
Yet Harper’s premonitions contained truths. Posey opted out of the 2020 season and then retired after 2021, removing arguably the most crucial piece of the veteran trio. Crawford and Belt each had down years in 2022, and the latter’s future with the franchise is in flux.
Harper bet that the Phillies’ ecosystem would produce better results than SF’s over the long run. His first three seasons in Philadelphia ended without the playoffs, and the Phillies just barely snuck into the postseason in 2022 as the last NL wild card team.
But soaking in the World Series moment, there’s no way Harper regrets his decision.
The Harper negotiations came in Zaidi’s first year running the Giants. Now in his fifth and facing possibly a similar case with Aaron Judge, perhaps he’ll refine his approach.
