POLL: UPDATED: Bryce's team in 2019 will be.....

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I don't see Soto flailing at balls outside the zone if pitchers try to pitch around him the way Bryce did.

[endersshadow]

I don't see Soto flailing at balls outside the zone if pitchers try to pitch around him the way Bryce did.

I rag on Harper a bunch, but him flailing at pitchers trying to avoid him was likely due to frustration.  I think Soto is more level headed than Harper and less likely to lose it at the plate, but we won't know till Soto's been treated similarly for a few years.

That being said, Harper flailing at lefties... THAT'S all him just not being able to hit them.

[bluestreak]

I don't see Soto flailing at balls outside the zone if pitchers try to pitch around him the way Bryce did.

If you compare Bryce Harper and Juan Soto’s Age 19 season, Bryce had a swing rate on out-of-zone pitches of 34.5% while Soto had one of 21.9%

Hell, last year Harper had an O-Zone swing percentage og 26.1 percent, still way higher than Soto.

Soto (wRC+ 147) was a more productive hitter than Bryce in his age 19 season (wRC+ 121), and last year in his Age 25 season (wRC+ 135).

Bryce has had only 2 seasons with a wRC+ greater than Soto’s 2018: 2015 (197) and 2017 (155).

If Soto improves to become an average fielder and base runner, in 4 years as Trout ages, I could seriously see him being the best player in baseball.

[bluestreak]

Phillies owner give Bryce 24 hours to accept offer. Reportedly 350 million. This is what I do when I put an offer on a house. Don’t let them go around and shop my offer.

https://www.inquisitr.com/5314561/bryce-harper-rumors-phillies-owner-deadline-24-hour/

[Elvir Ovcina]

Phillies owner give Bryce 24 hours to accept offer. Reportedly 350 million. This is what I do when I put an offer on a house. Don’t let them go around and shop my offer.

https://www.inquisitr.com/5314561/bryce-harper-rumors-phillies-owner-deadline-24-hour/

It's a lot easier to shop an offer in a market with only 29 other potential buyers than it is a house.  24 hours is plenty.

[Natsinpwc]

Phillies owner give Bryce 24 hours to accept offer. Reportedly 350 million. This is what I do when I put an offer on a house. Don’t let them go around and shop my offer.

https://www.inquisitr.com/5314561/bryce-harper-rumors-phillies-owner-deadline-24-hour/

As Grandma used to say "crap or get off the pot". 

[Slateman]

Or dont. It's your jerk.

[Copecwby20]

If I just throw a bunch of crap at the wall and see what sticks, can I be as much of an MLB insider as @MLB_Insider?

That dude literally publishes confliticting tweets daily. He’s like Jon Heyman without the bitmojis. freak them both. Wake me up when he actually signs, and save the speculation for Aunt Cleo.

[nfotiu]

If I just throw a bunch of crap at the wall and see what sticks, can I be as much of an MLB insider as @MLB_Insider?

That dude literally publishes confliticting tweets daily. He’s like Jon Heyman without the bitmojis. freak them both. Wake me up when he actually signs, and save the speculation for Aunt Cleo.

Yep...   The fact that they are picked up by the Inquisitr to run with stories about what the Kardashian's posted on Instagram, doesn't add a whole lot to their credibility.

At least they are calling him Bruce though! 

https://www.inquisitr.com/5314766/bryce-harper-yankees-requested-meeting-mlb-insider-rumors/?utm_content=trending-Bryce-Harper&utm_term=NA&utm_medium=facebook-main&fbclid=IwAR08vLOVd92xopfWNaZssr6jag0x2aY-H10K5iNcEcyerMgjKViQZ73ugQI

[WashingtonWizards23]

You know what's worse than this? Lebron James "Taking his talents to South Beach" in ESPN. 

[hotshot]

I rag on Harper a bunch, but him flailing at pitchers trying to avoid him was likely due to frustration.  I think Soto is more level headed than Harper and less likely to lose it at the plate, but we won't know till Soto's been treated similarly for a few years.

That being said, Harper flailing at lefties... THAT'S all him just not being able to hit them.

Bryce is definitely over-matched against even mediocre lefthanders who possess any decent breaking/slow stuff.

[bluestreak]

You know what's worse than this? Lebron James "Taking his talents to South Beach" in ESPN. 

At least LeBron told us when that circus was going to end.

[Duke of Earl]

https://94wip.radio.com/bryce-harper-phillies-angelo-cataldi

Harper wants an opt-out after three years.  (something about this particular piece, it seems credible to me.)   Boras say, it's just a single opt-out, if he doesn't opt out after three years he'll be there for the entire ten.  That's supposed to be comforting to Philly.  But Harper knows that he's leaving after three years, there's no doubt in his mind, I'm sure.  And I don't think Philly is going to go for it.

I'm looking for a deal with the Dodgers, by tomorrow.

[NJ Ave]

https://94wip.radio.com/bryce-harper-phillies-angelo-cataldi

Harper wants an opt-out after three years.  (something about this particular piece, it seems credible to me.)   Boras say, it's just a single opt-out, if he doesn't opt out after three years he'll be there for the entire ten.  That's supposed to be comforting to Philly.  But Harper knows that he's leaving after three years, there's no doubt in his mind, I'm sure.  And I don't think Philly is going to go for it.

I'm looking for a deal with the Dodgers, by tomorrow.

I think an opt-out after three years is almost worthless barring something unforeseen like hyperinflation. If there's 7/$245 left on that contract, there's very little chance anyone is beating that for a 29-year old player. Frankly it's almost a perk for the team - you have a chance to get 3 years of a player for much less than a 3-year deal would have cost.

[HalfSmokes]

If I’m the Phillies, I want a team out out after 4 if he gets a player after 3- he’s asking for record money plus an opt out- the Phillies seem to be in a position to tell him to freak off

[NJ Ave]

If I’m the Phillies, I want a team out out after 4 if he gets a player after 3- he’s asking for record money plus an opt out- the Phillies seem to be in a position to tell him to freak off

Exactly. Maybe they should be creative and have a "mutual opt-in" after 3, for the remaining 7

[HalfSmokes]

Exactly. Maybe they should be creative and have a "mutual opt-in" after 3, for the remaining 7

I still think a couple of mutual option years on the end is how he saves face and sets the record

[nfotiu]

I think an opt-out after three years is almost worthless barring something unforeseen like hyperinflation. If there's 7/$245 left on that contract, there's very little chance anyone is beating that for a 29-year old player. Frankly it's almost a perk for the team - you have a chance to get 3 years of a player for much less than a 3-year deal would have cost.

I am sure it is much more about whether he wants to stay than financial.  It gives them 3 years to show they can be competitive and that he likes it there.   It's a really  bad deal though for the Phillies though since they take all the risk.

I can't see Harper agreeing to a mutual option though.  That offers no more security than a 3 year deal would unless they have a huge buyout clause.

[Duke of Earl]

Frankly it's almost a perk for the team - you have a chance to get 3 years of a player for much less than a 3-year deal would have cost.

Who knows, given Boras, he may be trying to front load the contract.

[NatsAllThe Way]

If he gets 350 I'll eat my bonnet.

[NJ Ave]

I still think a couple of mutual option years on the end is how he saves face and sets the record

Seems like at the very least he could get vesting options, akin to the White Sox final offer to Machado (2 $37.5 million options for reaching 550 PA in the previous year).

The latest reporting on this has never made sense. If the Phillies have actually offered him $350 million with no strings attached, he would have taken it by now. Everything about this reads that there are some serious strings attached, and Boras is trying to get other teams to make Bryce offers (ANY OFFERS!) so they can go back to Philly and get those strings removed.

My guess is that the Phillies have offered something like what the White Sox offered Machado.

[NJ Ave]

I am sure it is much more about whether he wants to stay than financial.

Why on earth would you be sure about this? By all accounts, he really liked it here and we offered him $300 million. If it wasn't about finances, he could have literally picked anywhere he wanted to go on a short-term deal this offseason.

[Natsinpwc]

https://94wip.radio.com/bryce-harper-phillies-angelo-cataldi

Harper wants an opt-out after three years.  (something about this particular piece, it seems credible to me.)   Boras say, it's just a single opt-out, if he doesn't opt out after three years he'll be there for the entire ten.  That's supposed to be comforting to Philly.  But Harper knows that he's leaving after three years, there's no doubt in his mind, I'm sure.  And I don't think Philly is going to go for it.

I'm looking for a deal with the Dodgers, by tomorrow.

Told you guys all along the opt outs are the key. Read at another source that the Phillies offered an opt out after five years. So they could just split the difference. They just need to give him a deadline and move on. If it was Trout I could see being held up like this but not Harper. Just withdraw the offer and go public and then watch the dollars from the Dodgers and Giants fall. 

Btw Cataldi is a total idiot. One of the anti Doug Peterson guys when he was hired. He is dumb as a rock and so are 90 % of his callers. If they overpay he will be the first one in a few years to be ranting and raving about how bad a deal it is.

[Natsinpwc]

Why on earth would you be sure about this? By all accounts, he really liked it here and we offered him $300 million. If it wasn't about finances, he could have literally picked anywhere he wanted to go on a short-term deal this offseason.

He wanted a deal with at least one opt out.

[Natsinpwc]

If he gets 350 I'll eat my bonnet.

You wear bonnets up there??