{"id":15045,"date":"2024-12-04T08:48:24","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T08:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045"},"modified":"2024-12-04T08:48:24","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T08:48:24","slug":"juan-sotos-decision-could-very-well-impact-bryce-harpers-future-with-the-phillies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045","title":{"rendered":"Juan Soto\u2019s decision could very well impact Bryce Harper’s future with the Phillies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"New<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The Philadelphia Phillies are an afterthought in the Juan Soto chase. While Soto has plenty of connects on the Phillies thanks to his days with the Washington Nationals \u2013 namely Trea Turner and Kevin Long \u2013 there is little better reason for the 26-year-old to consider the City of Brotherly Love than Bryce Harper.<\/p>\n

The favorites to land Soto are reportedly the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox, with the Toronto Blue Jays as a distant fourth. It’s not too late for the Phillies to get involved, but pulling Soto away from New York or Boston would be considered a major upset in the industry.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, Dave Dombrowski’s focus should not just be on Soto, but rather the alternatives. The Phillies need outfield help, but unfortunately beyond Soto there are not a ton of options, as Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out. With the free-agent and trade options limited, would the Phillies consider moving Harper back to the outfield? Harper and Dombrowski sure hope that’s not the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll move back out there,\u201d Harper said in February. \u201cI don\u2019t. But never say never.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this stage of his career, how he has adjusted to the position, that\u2019s not a preference,” Dombrowski doubled down.<\/p>\n

Case closed, right? Not so fast.<\/p>\n

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray\u2019s work on <\/strong><\/em>The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to <\/strong><\/em>The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

While adding another outfielder might prove challenging, the first base market could be fruitful. Pete Alonso, Christian Walker and Paul Goldschmidt, among others, are all available \u2013 and for a far more affordable price tag than Soto.<\/p>\n

Per Lauber, the Phillies are targeting outfielders with less swing-and-miss potential, as their current crop strikes out far too much. Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernandez, arguably the two best outfielders available not named Soto, have tremendous power but strike out too much for the Phillies liking.<\/p>\n

The average outfielder’s OPS in MLB last season was .715. Harper had an OPS of near-.900. While he’s not the same defensive player he once was, assuming he can cut it at the corners, he has far more value there than first base.<\/p>\n

The Phillies have options, and if they cannot trade for the likes of Luis Robert Jr. or sign Soto, then they can always fall back on Harper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Philadelphia Phillies are an afterthought in the Juan Soto chase. While Soto has plenty of connects on the Phillies thanks to his days with the Washington N<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15049,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nJuan Soto\u2019s decision could very well impact Bryce Harper's future with the Phillies - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Juan Soto\u2019s decision could very well impact Bryce Harper's future with the Phillies - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Philadelphia Phillies are an afterthought in the Juan Soto chase. While Soto has plenty of connects on the Phillies thanks to his days with the Washington N\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-04T08:48:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/EX76SQQS3VCLXCXL7ICUNMBYKU_11zon.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"507\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsHan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsHan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045\",\"name\":\"Juan Soto\u2019s decision could very well impact Bryce Harper's future with the Phillies - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/EX76SQQS3VCLXCXL7ICUNMBYKU_11zon.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-04T08:48:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-04T08:48:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/EX76SQQS3VCLXCXL7ICUNMBYKU_11zon.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/EX76SQQS3VCLXCXL7ICUNMBYKU_11zon.jpg\",\"width\":760,\"height\":507},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Juan Soto\u2019s decision could very well impact Bryce Harper’s future with the Phillies\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c\",\"name\":\"MsHan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsHan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=4\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Juan Soto\u2019s decision could very well impact Bryce Harper's future with the Phillies - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Juan Soto\u2019s decision could very well impact Bryce Harper's future with the Phillies - NEWS USA","og_description":"The Philadelphia Phillies are an afterthought in the Juan Soto chase. While Soto has plenty of connects on the Phillies thanks to his days with the Washington N","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2024-12-04T08:48:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":760,"height":507,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/EX76SQQS3VCLXCXL7ICUNMBYKU_11zon.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MsHan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsHan","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045","name":"Juan Soto\u2019s decision could very well impact Bryce Harper's future with the Phillies - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/EX76SQQS3VCLXCXL7ICUNMBYKU_11zon.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-04T08:48:24+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-04T08:48:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/EX76SQQS3VCLXCXL7ICUNMBYKU_11zon.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/EX76SQQS3VCLXCXL7ICUNMBYKU_11zon.jpg","width":760,"height":507},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=15045#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Juan Soto\u2019s decision could very well impact Bryce Harper’s future with the Phillies"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c","name":"MsHan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsHan"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=4"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15045"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15050,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15045\/revisions\/15050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}