Bryce Harper’s most interesting comments were about the Dodgers
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Last April, Bryce Harper called critics of the Los Angeles Dodgers “losers.”
When asked once again about what he thought of the back-to-back World Series champions and the biggest spenders in the sport, Harper remained effusive in his praise.
“I love what the Dodgers do, obviously,” Harper said on Sunday. “I mean, they pay the money, they spend the money. I mean, they’re a great team. They understand how to run it. They run their team like a business, and they run it the right way. They understand where they need to put their money into. But also, people don’t look at this either: Their draft and their development is unbelievable. Like they draft and they develop, and then they trade those guys for big name guys, and they can spend the money.”
There is intent behind everything Harper says. He became the center of the labor conversation in the sport last summer when he confronted commissioner Rob Manfred during a meeting in the Phillies clubhouse. Manfred was making his way around to all 30 teams, talking with players about the benefits of a potential salary cap. Things got heated between Harper and Manfred.
Harper reportedly told Manfred that if MLB is willing to propose a cap, the players are “not scared to lose 162 games.” An angry Harper also told Manfred to “get the f*** out of our clubhouse.”
So it’s not too surprising that Harper is advocating for the team that is consistently resetting the market for players in free agency. Manny Machado also praised the Dodgers spending, saying, “That s*** is f****** great for the game.” The Dodgers will be at the center of the upcoming labor dispute.
“I don’t know, it bothers me when everybody talks about the Dodgers spending money,” Harper said. “No, they draft, they develop, they do it the right way. They understand what it takes to be the best team in baseball. And you’ve seen that in the last two years. They have so much depth. I mean, I think it was Will Klein, the kid’s name was, came in, threw six shutout innings (in the World Series). I mean, he was sitting in Arizona two weeks before. They have that type of dynamic on their club. When you think about drafting, developing and things like that, that’s why they win, and that’s why they win a lot of games each year.”
The Phillies, who lost to the Dodgers in four games in last year’s NLDS, are one of the few teams in baseball that can spend at their level to a certain extent. The Phillies will carry a payroll north of $300 million for the second year in a row. The Dodgers are above $400 million, and don’t show any signs of stopping. They have the largest local television rights deal in baseball and are benefitting from the revenue generated by the presence of Shohei Ohtani. Their dominance in the Japanese market is also a big part of their recent success.
Both teams over the last few years have used some of their best prospects as trade chips. The Phillies and Dodgers carried the two oldest position player groups in baseball last year. The Dodgers’ pipeline has provided a more consistent flow of talent, something the Phillies hope changes beginning this year.
Top prospects Aidan Miller, Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford are all in major league camp with the Phillies. The team is preparing for Crawford to open the season as the starting center fielder. Painter is a strong rotation candidate.
Miller has a locker next to Harper. It’s not something Harper requested, but he’s excited to be a mentor for the 21-year-old.
“He’s a great kid,” Harper said. “He understands what he has to do. Obviously everybody in this organization is super excited about it. I talked to him last year a lot. I talked with him this year a little bit already. He has a bright future in this organization.”
If Harper is going to have success with the Phillies in the back half of his contract, it will require the team to find a new wave of talent. The Phillies have had success building through free agency, but with Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber all under expensive contracts as they approach their mid-30s, the supplemental talent will have to come through other means, whether it’s trading or drafting and developing.
And as Harper talks up the Dodgers’ success in those areas, maybe he is hinting at how the Phillies have some catching up to do.
“I love what they do,” Harper said. “I understand what they do. I understand the madness behind it. But again, each team in baseball has an opportunity to do the same thing. Maybe not at the upper echelon of money, but they can draft, they can develop, they can trade. I think a lot of teams can do that in baseball, and they should.”