PHILADELPHIA — The offseason was less than an hour old when the annual lobbying campaign began. Somebody asked Bryce Harper if he wanted to send a message to the fans about the Phillies’ determination to repeat as National League champs. Instead, he responded with a message that seemed intended for his bosses.
“It’s going to be the same team, with a couple more pieces, I imagine,” Harper said after the Phillies’ season-ending loss to the Astros in Game 6 of the World Series. “Dave Dombrowski is our guy. John Middleton understands we want to win, and he wants to win right now, too. So I’d imagine that we’re going to be the same team with some more pieces that make us that much better.”
This is nothing new. From the moment the Phillies signed Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract in the spring of 2019, the superstar has been pushing them to spend more. In Middleton, he has found a receptive audience. The Phillies have made at least one big-ticket free-agent signing in each of Harper’s first three offseasons with the club: Zack Wheeler after 2019, J.T. Realmuto after 2020, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos after 2021. In fact, the run stretches back even further, with Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta after 2018 and Andrew McCutchen alongside Harper.
