Phillies Hot Stove: Club’s Interest in Harper ‘Lining Up’ Like Thome Acquisition

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

The Philadelphia Phillies' December 2002 signing of Hall of Fame first baseman Jim Thome will forever be remembered as the mark of the new chapter for the organization.

Thome's leadership and slugging presence in the Phillies' early seasons of Citizens Bank Park — and also during the latter years under eventual World Series champion manager Charlie Manuel — only helped the club in numerous, unquantifiable ways.

Bryce Harper coming to the Phillies in 2019 could lead to a similar, new window of success for the two-time World Series champions. And just how Thome was pried away from the Cleveland Indians, Harper could likewise be pried away from the Washington Nationals.

NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury joined SportsRadio 94 WIP's Glen Macnow and Ray Didinger on Saturday, and said the Phillies are "probably the favorite" to acquire Harper "for a lot of reasons."

"They're getting closer to be ready to win and contend consistently. A player like that would fit and have interest in coming here. Obviously, they have deep pockets, a lot of money ready to spend," Salisbury said. "The way the industry is lining up, it's almost like Jim Thome back in the early 2000s."

Read: Hoskins on Machado, Harper: Always 'Right Time' to Add 'Generational Player'

"There wasn't a lot of competition for Thome. It was basically the Phillies and the incumbent Cleveland Indians," Salisbury said.

The Phillies were willing to make Thome the highest-paid player in club history at the time, and are poised to do just the same, 16 years later. And like the offseason in 2002, Salisbury discusses the Phillies' lacking competition to sign another superstar in Harper:

"You got some of your bigger market teams like the [New York] Yankees saying they're not going to be in on Harper. The [San Francisco] Giants are still formulating an offseason plan. It looks like they may or may not be in, but they're uncertain. The [Los Angeles] Dodgers have luxury tax concerns, and are probably going to sit it out. The [Chicago] Cubs have payroll concerns, and it looks like they may sit it out.

So, some of your expected suitors might just be kind of bystanders here. That really helps the Phillies' case in landing Bryce Harper."

Salisbury said he read Bob Nightengale of USA Today's story, in which he said one could "bank" on the Phillies signing Harper. While he is friends with Nightengale, Salisbury is not ready to say "bank on it," however.

"I think that was his opinion coming out strong, and I think there's a place for that, obviously, in today's media," Salisbury said. "But, I think I would be a little more reserved and say, 'there is a good chance Bryce Harper is a Phillie.'

"I would say, at this moment here in the second weekend of November — with a lot of offseason to go and a lot of Scott Boras 'wheeling and dealing to go' — I think they're the favorite."

The annual Winter Meetings will take place Dec. 9-13 in Harper's hometown, Las Vegas, Nevada.