Trea Turner details Bryce Harper’s recruiting tactics: ‘We’re going to get you over here’
Bryce Harper’s Phillies tenure so far had been defined not only by his success at the plate, but his ability to recruit the star players around him. It ultimately comes down to ownership opening the checkbook and the front office closing the deal, but Harper was never going to sign in Philadelphia if there wasn’t a commitment to keep adding.
Likewise, there was also the expectation that Harper was going to help in the process of getting even more stars to sign in Philadelphia.
It helps to have friends.
Harper had been eying Trea Turner’s free agency for years. As Jesse Rogers details in a feature story for ESPN, Harper would tease Turner, his former Washington Nationals teammate, about how good he would look in a Phillies uniform while Harper was on second as Turner played shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“For the last three years, he kept telling me, ‘We’re going to get you over here, we’re going to get you over here,'” Turner told Rogers during spring training. “It started as a joke, then as it got closer and [the Phillies] were in win-now mode, everything lined up. He was a big factor, for sure.”
The Phillies went into the 2022-23 offseason looking for a new middle infielder. Rumors regarding Turner’s interest in the Phillies began to pick up in June. When Harper spent a game in the Phillies broadcast booth in early August, he said Turner was his favorite player in the league.
The Phillies were the heavy favorites to sign Turner heading into the offseason. The Padres came in with a significantly higher offer, but Turner chose to sign with Philadelphia for 11 years and $300 million.
Even though Harper had been bugging Turner for years about Philly, Harper said he left Turner alone during the actual free agent process. Harper told Rogers that a few days before he officially signed, Turner called Harper and asked for advice on places to live around the area.
Harper did not feel the need to convince Turner to sign with the Phillies.
“The city, the fans, they sold it for us last year. I didn’t have to,” Harper said.
They’re teammates now, but it has yet to feel real. Harper reported to Phillies camp after Turner left for the World Baseball Classic. Turner and Harper have lockers next to each other in the Phillies clubhouse. You can occasionally see the pair conversing or sitting down alongside other Phillies teammates to watch golf before a game, but until Harper greets Turner at home plate after a big home run, it’s finally going to set in that Turner and Harper will be teammates for at least the next nine years in Philadelphia.
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