The Philadelphia Phillies are in danger of wasting Bryce Harper’s prime

The Philadelphia Phillies aren’t helping their superstar outfielder succeed.

When Philadelphia Phillies ownership inked Bryce Harper to the largest contract in franchise history, it was meant to signal a change in the team’s direction. Gone were the days of Dominic Brown and Ben Revere, it was time to compete and contend.

Outside of the very lucrative contract, Harper cited his desire to win as a major reason he actually chose to sign with the Phillies over other teams. He had similar offers from both the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants, but ultimately decided the Phillies had the best shot to secure a championship in the near future. John Middleton swore up, down, left, and right that he would do what it takes to win Harper a ring.

Two years later, and Middleton has failed to even deliver on an ounce of that promise.

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Obviously, the Phillies have missed the postseason two years in a row since #3 signed with the team. That’s no fault of Harper’s of course, as he’s been absolutely spectacular since arriving in Philadelphia. He’s hit 45 total home runs in a Phillies uniform, driven in 147 runs, was nominated for a Gold Glove in 2019, and led the MLB in walks in 2020. His .962 OPS that he recorded this past season was the highest he’s posted since 2017, showing that he is essentially smack in the middle of his baseball-playing prime.

Despite Harper’s borderline MVP-caliber play the last 200+ games, the Phillies haven’t won any championships, they haven’t secured any pennants, and they haven’t appeared in any Wild Card rounds. In fact, they really haven’t come close over the last two seasons. If it wasn’t for the MLB’s wonky expanded postseason format this past summer, the Phillies would have been eliminated from playoff contention weeks before the final game.

Of course, that’s not to say the Philadelphia Phillies didn’t try to win games the last two seasons, they just failed to pull the right strings. The team built one of the highest paid rosters in all of baseball, but just couldn’t seem to get a grip on how to build a winning one. Gabe Kapler wasn’t a good managerial fit in 2019, veterans like Jake Arrieta and David Robertson hurt the team more than they helped, and Matt Klentak was way out of his league when tasked with trying to fix roster-related issues (hi Brandon Workman).

Harper was doing his part. The people in charge of making decisions, were not.

Now headed into a pivotal 2021 offseason, it doesn’t look like things are going to drastically change anytime soon. The farm system is bare, JT Realmuto will likely sign elsewhere, the team hasn’t been linked to any exciting GM candidates quite yet, and owner John Middleton has already hinted at the idea of cutting payroll this winter.

Money isn’t always the best way to build a contending baseball team, but when you’re in year 3 of Bryce Harper and don’t have a single playoff appearance to show for it, something drastic has to be done.

Ultimately, it looks like Middleton and the Philadelphia Phillies view 2021 as a “re-tooling” year of sorts. They’ll likely sit on their hands when it comes to free agency, and bank on in-house development. That sounds all fine and dandy, but that’s just not what Harper signed up for. Like previously mentioned, he’s smack in the middle of his prime, ready and willing to contend for a championship.

Look at the Padres for example. They signed their own $300 million superstar in 2019 (Manny Machado), and they went all in on trying to win him a ring this season. They acquired multiple high-caliber targets at the trade deadline, and likely are looking to spend even more this offseason as they gear up for another postseason run. That’s how you build around a superstar, and it’s hard to imagine Harper doesn’t wish he signed with San Diego instead…