Bryce Harper's Trade Rumors Reaction Should Have Yankees Fans' Attention

Dombrowski even went on to compare him to Freddie Freeman. It's a fine comp, but he concluded his statement with a backhanded compliment.

"And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good," Dombrowski also said. "If you look around the league, I think … Freddie Freeman: He's a really good player, right? He still is a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent. Freddie is a tremendous player, and that, to me, is Bryce. Can he rise to the next level again? I don't really know that answer."

Harper was not thrilled to hear that. He was forthcoming about his discontent over Dombrowski's statement.

"I have given my all to Philly from the start," Harper said. "Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It's all I heard in D.C. I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

Harper vs. Belliner

Let's say Harper and the Phillies have a complete deterioration of their relationship. If the Yankees pounce, they may not have to get involved in a bidding war for Tucker or Bellinger.

Tucker is clearly the better player, but when it comes to who one would rather have between Bellinger and Harper, they each may command similar salaries by the time teams break for camp. Harper has six years and $150 million left, and Bellinger could see himself with a similar deal in terms of years and money.

Bellinger's defensive versatility speaks for itself, and it contributed to his 4.9 WAR according to Fangraphs, which is his highest mark since 2019, when he won MVP. That was great for last year, but the question becomes who is worth having over the course of Aaron Judge's prime.

The back end of both deals may look ugly, but if the Yankees miss out on Tucker just as they did with Juan Soto last year, Harper and Bellinger is a debate about who can be the best Robin to Gotham's Batman during the duration of the captain's prime. Despite a down year by Harper's standards, his underlying metrics look better than Bellinger's. Dombrowski's comments about him aging as Freddie Freeman did can prove true. Harper's .379 xw0BA, .280 xBA, .512 xSLG, 91.3 MPH Average Exit Velo, 12.3% barrel rate, 47.5 hard hit rate, and 74.2 MPH average bat speed are all still well above average in the league.

Bellinger, on the other hand, is below average in each of these areas. His .332 xw0BA, .261 xBA, .436 xSLG, 88.3 MPH Average Exit Velo, 7.5% barrel rate, 37.9% hard hit rate, and 70.1 MPH average bat speed show that of a player who may have been lucky at the plate.

How Does Harper Fit?

The problem with Harper is how he fits with the Yankees. He would likely be a first baseman. That takes time away from Ben Rice.

If this happens, the Yankees will have to choose between using Austin Wells and Rice at catcher to accommodate Harper, and if that's the case, Rice should be the backstop. The org would be sacrificing defense for his bat, but it isn't anything they didn't experience last season since Rice took reps away him.

Plus, with Giancarlo Stanton's health always being a question, they may not need to do a complete overhaul of the infield to fit one player.

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