Philadelphia Phillies: J.T. Realmuto could help land Bryce Harper

Could J.T. Realmuto be another key addition to help the Philadelphia Phillies land Bryce Harper in free agency?

As crazy as it is to believe that spring training is right around for the Philadelphia Phillies, the team continues to keep themselves busy to put themselves in better position to compete for a World Series title in 2019.

While the rumors continue to swirl about the possibility of the team signing Bryce Harper since it looks like the San Francisco Giants are trying to get in on the action as well, at least the Phillies made another key move this week by acquiring J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins.

Without question, the trade to land Realmuto was huge for Philadelphia after looking at how much of an upgrade he’s going to be at the catcher position.

Not to mention, now that Realmuto happens to be the latest of a few key players added to the roster this offseason by the Phillies, this could also help them build a stronger case to convince Harper to come on board.

Sooner or later, Harper will finally need to make a decision over which team he wants to join for the 2019 season, especially since teams are about to get spring training underway. From Harper’s perspective, it’s easy to understand why the star outfielder would want to make sure he choose a team that seems to be the best fit.

Before the offseason even got underway, Philadelphia was already viewed as potential destination for Harper since they not only were a young team with a ton of potential, but also had the necessary money to spend on a hefty contract.

Any team would obviously love the opportunity to have a talented player like Harper as part of the roster, but unfortunately not everyone can chalk up the kind of money a team like the Phillies are willing to pay.

Also, as great as it to see Philadelphia being able to offer Harper the kind of money he’s looking for, it’s also a positive to see the team making the necessary moves to give them a better chance of competing in 2019, which Harper has to love as well.

The Phillies were already in great shape this offseason with some of the moves that landed players like Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen, but Realmuto once again shows just how much this team means business.

Only time will tell when it comes to whether Philadelphia ends up winning the Harper sweepstakes, as this team continues to make it clear they’re not done yet when it comes to offseason moves, as this past week showed with Realmuto.

Adding someone with the talent of Realmuto alone certainly won’t be the main reason behind Harper if he were to choose a team like the Phillies, but at least this move can be viewed as another positive step to show what this team is willing to do to contend.

Just like some of the other players like Segura and McCutchen, Realmuto is simply another piece to the puzzle that Philadelphia hopes Harper recognizes to make him want to join the Phillies even more for the 2019 season.