It’s no secret that Phillies slugger Bryce Harper grew up a Yankees fan.
In an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, the two-time MVP neither confirmed nor denied meeting with Brian Cashman during free agency. Instead, he reminisced about the dynasty of the late 90s and then doubled down on his love for the city of Philadelphia.
“I’ve been a Yankees fan my whole life, everybody knew that,” Harper said. “I grew up watching some really good Yankee teams – Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada – I mean, I love those teams, but I couldn’t imagine not being a Philadelphia Phillie. There’s nothing like it.
“If you want to come be a Philly fan, come hop on.”
After the Yankees traded for 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton ahead of the 2018 season, it became clear that Harper, who was set to become a free agent the following season, would not be playing for New York.
Instead, Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million contract, including a $20 million signing bonus and a full no-trade clause with the Phillies. He’ll earn $26 million per year through 2028 and then $22 million each in the last three years of the deal.
Stanton, on the other hand, is owed $128 million through 2028. That’s an annual average value of $25.6 million.
Since signing with the Phillies, Harper is slashing .284/.395/.536 with 122 home runs. In the same time span, Stanton is batting .233/.322/.796 with 97 home runs.
Would the Yankees make the same decision today?
Manuel Gomez may be reached at [email protected].
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