Werth: Bryce Harper ‘has already asked me about Philadelphia’

By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor 

This season has been a different one for the Philadelphia Phillies. They have competed hard so far, and are sitting pretty atop the National League East. For the Phillies though, the need to acquire a star player is still apparent and they missed out on doing so just a couple weeks ago.

With an opportunity to trade for Manny Machado, the price the Orioles were asking for was just too steep for the Phillies, and instead was dealt to the Dodgers.

The Phillies may just be holding out for the offseason when free agency opens up to get Machado, or perhaps the other major player that will be available on the market once the season wraps up.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is also available for the taking, and there are no shortage of rumors of where he might go and take his talents next season.

It could be the Yankees, it could be the Cubs, or perhaps the Phillies could be a suitor for the former NL MVP. Harper is going to be expensive though, however the Phillies are in a position to offer superstars as much as they possibly can.

Apparently, former Phillies outfielder and former Washington National Jayson Werth has had conversations with Harper about where he might sign in the offseason.

Freelance sports writer Mike Cranston was present for the 2008 World Series reunion on Sunday, and Werth offered a pretty eye-opening response to a pretty big question regarding Bryce Harper.

Former Phillies and Nationals OF Jayson Werth here for the 2008 Phillies WS reunion. He was asked what would he tell former teammate and impending free agent Bryce Haper if he asked about Philly: "I think he's already asked me about Philadelphia."

— Mike Cranston (@MikeCranston1) August 5, 2018

Werth went on about what exactly he told Harper about Philly when he asked him about it.

"Isn't that tampering?" he said, laughing. Then he replied: "It’s a great place to hit. I’ve always loved hitting here. I’ve shared that among other things about this place. He’s a dynamic player for sure."

Werth had an incredible career with the Phillies during his time in Philly. He finished with 15 postseason home runs, the most by a Phillie in the playoffs in team history. He definitely had a knack for swinging for the fences when he played at Citizens Bank Park.

Harper has had similar success in Philadelphia when visiting with the Nationals. Harper has slashed .280/.268/.590 with 13 home runs, and 29 RBIs in 44 career games at Citizens Bank Park.

Back at the beginning of 2017, Harper told PhillyVoice just how much he loved being able to hit at Citizens Bank Park.

“I just feel really good here,” said Harper. “Ever since I came up in 2012, I felt great. It’s a fun place to play, a fun ballpark to play in. You see the ball pretty well here. I just let the rest take care of itself, I guess.”

Who knows what Harper will plan on doing when the season comes to a close, but it's probably a good thing if he is confiding in former teammates when making an educated decision of where to go next. The Phillies obviously have what it takes to make a run at Bryce Harper, but can they convince him to join something that is already proving to be something special?