Harper wishes Phillies add another big bat

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper he wants the Philadelphia Phillies to add another big hitter to the lineup.

The reigning NL MVP said Monday it would be “disappointing” if the Phillies didn’t sign Chris Bryant, Nick Castellanos or Kyle Schwarber. The team needs a left fielder, and president Dave Dombrowski said Sunday that the owner has not given him any limitations on spending money.

“I think all three are winners,” Harper said during a 10-minute chat with reporters outside his locker. “I think they’ve shown it. Schwarber, of course, won the Chicago Cubs, he did a great job for the Boston Red Sox last year and the Washington Nationals. He’s a winner as a player. KB can play everywhere, third base, first baseman, DH, left field. He’s also a winner, and he has. He’s appeared in big places, big situations. And then Nicky, I really enjoy him as a player, a good left fielder. He would be a great middle-order bat. for us”.

“But, that’s why [Dombrowski] find out and give us the best ability for us to win. There’s definitely a couple of guys out there that a lot of guys in this clubhouse would like to see come in and give us a kind of sense that we’re here to win and we have a chance to do it,” he said.

Harper indirectly lobbied the front office to sign one of those sluggers, though he said he doesn’t need to remind Dombrowski or owner John Middleton to make a move. Harper was quite vocal about the team’s waiver of the All-Star catcher, JT Realmutoin 2020.

“They know the kind of guys we need in this clubhouse,” Harper said. “There are a lot of players who are very, very good. Some fit our team. Some fit the mold. Some don’t. I don’t see us going crazy with [Carlos] Carlos Correa or something like that because it doesn’t make sense to us, right? But there are a couple of guys that would definitely make sense to us. They know. I don’t need to reiterate that. The fan base knows it. the city of Philadelphia knows it.

“We definitely need someone who gives us the best chance to win. When you get a player of that caliber, it just increases the energy in the clubhouse that much more, knowing that your team is behind you, your organization is behind you and it gives you the best chance to win every night.

The Phillies went 82-80 last season, their first winning record since 2011, but extended their postseason drought to the NL’s worst 10 years.

Since the lockout ended, the Phillies have added a couple of late-inning relievers and brought a familiar face. They have agreed contracts with the gardener Odubel Herrerathe right JeurysFamily and the lefty Brad Hand, according to a source familiar with those deals. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the moves are pending the players passing a physical.

Herrera could form a platoon with matt vierling in center field. Herrera, a 2016 All-Star, batted .260 with 13 home runs, 51 RBIs and had a .310 on-base percentage last year after returning to the team from a 2019 suspension for violating the City’s domestic violence policy. Big leagues.

Hand was a three-time All-Star from 2017-20 when he totaled 103 saves with a 2.63 ERA. He struggled last season with the Washington and Toronto Blue Jays, but finished strong with the New York Mets. Overall, he went 6-7 with a 3.90 ERA and 21 saves in 2021.

Before the lockout, the Phillies signed the right-hander Corey Knebel to be his closer.

Meanwhile, Harper sees the Mets making a big splash in the NL East, adding Max Scherzer, Edward Escobar, Starling Mars and Mark Canha, among others. Harper praised Mets owner Steve Cohen, saying he’s doing a “great job.”

“They’re going to be a very good team,” he said. “He’s doing what’s best for the Mets and their fan base and their organization and they’re going out there and getting the players they need to compete.”

The defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves, another division rival, acquired the All-Star slugger matt olson to replace Freddie Freeman.

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Harper wishes Phillies add another big bat