No city takes the free-agent saga more to heart than Philly. For as tough as Philadelphians are, they also like to be loved. If you scorn them, it will hurt. If you love them, they will respond in kind.
Only in the whiplash world of Philadelphia sports could this happen.
The Phillies are relevant again in Philadelphia. They are back to a hot ticket. They have a marquee name for the first time since Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins left their primes. They will make for must-see television. If you want a comparison, the old-school one is Pete Rose. When Rose signed with the Phillies in 1979, he was the type of guy who drove Philadelphia nuts when he had"Cincinnati" across his chest. But that act was married perfectly to the city, and that’s what the Phillies are deep down counting on happening.
At an average of $25 million per season against the luxury tax, Harper leaves the Phillies with some meat on the bone and cash in the coffers to go spend on other free agents. It is not unreasonable now to think the Phillies are a legitimate threat to get Mike Trout. They instantly become appealing for free agents and potential trade subjects with no-trade clauses.What this year’s free-agent saga has done is show that front offices love having that ability to get underneath the luxury tax.
The idea that Harper was uneasy to play in town for whatever factors—West Coast guy, didn’t like what he saw during years of coming with the Nationals, etc.—did hit a nerve. The city loves to show its tough side, but it loves more when someone chooses them. It may not be New York's big-market glitz, Chicago’s Midwestern nice or L.A.'s or San Francisco’s “California Cool,” but losing out to those cities drives this fan base crazy.
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