Excitement surrounding Phillies higher than ever after Bryce Harper signing

For the first time in forever, Bryce Harper has Philadelphia Phillies fans feeling confident in their chances of being able to make a World Series run in 2019.

Days following the announcement, it still doesn’t feel real to say that Bryce Harper will be suiting up for the Philadelphia Phillies for years to come after looking at all of the rumors surrounding the star outfielder from the previous few months.

Whether it involves teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants getting in on the sweepstakes at the last second or trying to determine if Harper would actually enjoy living in the City of Brotherly Love, it’s been a wild offseason ride for Phillies fans, but it was all worth it.

Now, fans want nothing more than for Opening Day against the Atlanta Braves to arrive in a few weeks from now so this new chapter involving Harper can officially get underway for Philadelphia instead of just watching him participate in spring training with the rest of his teammates.

Dating back to last season, the Phillies were viewed as one of the early candidates to be big winners in free agency to land a top player like Harper or Manny Machado, mainly because of the money they had to spend.

As much as every team would love to be in the situation to bring someone like Harper on board, there was also a realistic perspective over how much money he would actually cost, which is why Philadelphia was one of only a few teams considering the possibility.

After five years in a row of NL East titles from 2007-11, it’s been seven years since the Phillies actually earned a trip to the playoffs, and if that wasn’t crazy enough, it should also be noted that Philadelphia hasn’t finished with a winning record in each of those seasons.

Even last year when it seemed like the Phillies were finally going to put an end to the drought after being in the playoff race for most of the season, a late collapse in the final two months resulted in the team finishing two games below .500 for 2018.

Before Harper came on board, Philadelphia was viewed as a team ready to take the next step as a legitimate contender in the National League thanks to a successful offseason that included additions of players like Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen.

With Harper on board, all signs point to the Phillies having what it takes to live up to this offseason hype, and for the first time since their last playoff appearance in 2011, this team finally looks like a legitimate World Series contender, which is an amazing feeling for fans.