This is your daily reminder the Giants didn't land Bryce Harper -- sorry about that. And while I went over some possibilities on who the next big outfielder could be for the Orange and Black, I have a feeling the six-time All-Star is a better recruiter than me -- or anyone reading this.
Yeah, I could see Harper bringing some big names to the Phillies eventually, particularly one star-studded outfielder who could land in the free agency soon?
Either way, with Major League Baseball not knowing what cap space is, and knowing sometimes a recruitment speech is just an Instagram direct message away -- this could be the beginning of a new dynasty of super teams in baseball.
Before we get started, I'm not ignoring the Yankees of the late '90s and mid-2000s where Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter posed shirtless on the covers of magazines and they won more titles than they knew what to do with, but could you actually say no to Philly if you're Mike Trout?
Trout is very open about his love for Philly -- especially the Eagles. He's been a season ticket holder for the past several seasons, monitors every offseason move like he's the team's general manager, and always gets a game ball while in attendance as his beautiful wife Jess sips beer right next to him.
Relationship goals, right?
That may not be the only way to recruit someone, but what about some backup from a guy who just signed a historic deal with the team?
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Recently, Harper, who dotted the lines of that 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies, spoke to Sports Radio 94WIP in Philadelphia saying his recruiting process is pretty simple -- especially when it comes to Trout:
Bryce Harper: "If you don't think I'm gonna call Mike Trout to come to Philly in 2020, you're crazy." 👏👏👏— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) March 5, 2019
Calm down with your "tampering" talks for one moment.
This appears to be part of a plan Harper's agent Scott Boras spoke about after the signing.
"He wanted to go to one city, stay there, build a brand and identity and recruit players. He wants to tell players: come play with me. He knows it will help winning more if he's with one team the whole time."
I jokingly tweeted this:
Trout to the Phillies, confirmed. https://t.co/8jfWFVCppl— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) February 28, 2019
Angels fans were mad, and rightfully so. They want to hold on to the best baseball player in the game for dear life. But these two being involved in the same conversation is nothing new -- they're constantly being compared to one another like your children, and despite how much you love both of them dearly (both your children and these All-Star outfielders) you still have a favorite.
But think about it ...
Baseball is completely different than any other sport when it comes to recruitment. Don't get me wrong, I'm ridiculously romantic about the sport, but when players are figuring out a place they want to spend their career playing unless they're at the end of their career, most of the time, it's about the money. There isn't much loyalty, sometimes a possible World Series championship may not even be in the cards -- they want to make it rain.
The Giants have won World Series titles in the last decade -- three of them.
The Phillies? Two -- total.
I'm all about rebuilding a team -- and the Giants have been trying to do that by recruiting only to become the bridesmaid time after time. I'm looking at you, Giancarlo Stanton.
What Trout has right here is the perfect opportunity to have the best of both worlds: The money, and the location.
Harper may not have to be the guy to sell him on this dream, but with the way he was being recruited by big teams, he knows what it takes to convince a guy of that caliber.
[RELATED: Buster Posey reacts to Harper signing]
So, we wait. We wait for the Giants to make a pitch for a seven-time All-Star, two-time American League MVP, six-time Silver Slugger Award winner ... and hope beyond hopes he at least listens. But how the Phillies perform this season is imperative. Trout has all the awards in the world -- what he doesn't have is that World Series ring.
If the Giants continue in that direction post-Bruce Bochy ... that outfield could take on a completely new shape and the recruiting process in the hands of Trout could change everything.
