{"id":51449,"date":"2025-04-28T00:41:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T00:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=51449"},"modified":"2025-04-28T00:41:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T00:41:23","slug":"bryce-harper-says-cubs-were-first-choice-at-the-beginning-of-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=51449","title":{"rendered":"Bryce Harper says Cubs were \u2018first choice\u2019 at the beginning of free agency"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bryce Harper said the Cubs were the top team on his list at the beginning of free agency. (Madeline Ressler\/Phillies Nation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Bryce Harper in Chicago is widely seen as the one that got away. Owner Tom Ricketts said in an interview with CNBC that the Cubs \u201cspent a lot of time thinking about what Harper\u2019s worth as a free agent.\u201d The Cubs never initiated anything serious, and Harper ended up signing with the Phillies for 13 years and $330 million.<\/p>\n

They are still kicking themselves for not seriously pursuing Harper. And if free agency went exactly as Harper planned, at least early on, he would have signed with the Cubs.<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Athletic\u2018s Patrick Mooney over the weekend, Harper said that the Cubs were \u201cwithout a doubt\u201d the No. 1 team on his list. Chicago was three years removed from breaking their 108-year World Series drought. Their core players, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Harper\u2019s childhood friend Kris Bryant, were all getting closer to free agency. It seemed liked the right time for the Cubs to make a big splash, but ownership thought otherwise. The team across town, the Chicago White Sox, actually got more involved in Harper\u2019s free agency than the Cubs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely something that I talked about \u2014 wanting to play in Wrigley, wanting to play in Chicago,\u201d Harper said. \u201cOne of the better meetings I had was with the White Sox on the other side (of the city). It just didn\u2019t pan out that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harper has talked in the past about having to warm up to the idea of signing with the Phillies. He had spent his entire career playing against them in the National League East. They had not made the playoffs since 2011. Harper enjoyed being the villain in Philly.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhilly came in. I\u2019ll tell you, they came in and I wasn\u2019t very excited,\u201d Harper told Barstool Sports in 2020. \u201cI was kind of like \u2018I played against you guys,\u2019 and I told them this flat out: \u2018We kicked your ass for the past couple years.\u2019 I flat out said that to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Phillies ended up being the team that made the winning offer, and it has worked out for Harper. Managing partner John Middleton has largely kept his promise of spending to build around Harper. Harper has also reached the World Series and made three playoff appearances with Philadelphia. The Cubs have not won a postseason game since Harper signed with the Phillies.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s one of those things,\u201d Harper said. \u201cLooking back on it, it could have been really good, or it could have been really bad, right? You never know. I never fault any organization for not getting a player or not going after a player.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an interesting conversation considering the context of the Cubs\u2019 season. They paid a steep price to land superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker via trade for a year, and the team\u2019s track record with free agents leads many to believe that they won\u2019t retain him after this season. Tucker could cost over $500 million. Jayson Heyward\u2019s eight-year, $184 million signed before the 2016 season still stands as the largest guarantee the Cubs have ever handed out.<\/p>\n

Since Harper\u2019s arrival, the Phillies have handed out seven contracts worth at least $100 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, I\u2019m extremely happy with where I am in Philadelphia,\u201d Harper said. \u201cI would never change it for the world. I love the fan base, city, everything. It\u2019s a blast. But pre-2019, going into free agency, the Cubs were at the top of my list.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Bryce<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read – Bryce Harper says Cubs were ‘first choice’ at the beginning of free agency – and more Phillies news and rumors at PhilliesNation.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":51450,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nBryce Harper says Cubs were \u2018first choice\u2019 at the beginning of free agency - 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=51449\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bryce Harper says Cubs were \u2018first choice\u2019 at the beginning of free agency - 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