“Harper is not going anywhere.” Around eight years ago, the Washington Post received this text from the Nationals GM, Mike Rizzo. The Houston Astros almost pulled Bryce Harper in a blockbuster trade that never materialized. Truly, the trade that never happened arguably remains one of the most fascinating “what if” situations.
The Nationals and Astros had the deal right in place back in 2018 at the non-waiver trade deadline. So, even if just for a few months, they would have had Harper’s explosive bat in the mix. But what went wrong that Harper never got to wear an Astros uniform? The proposed trade was right in place. With the Astros acquiring Harper, the Nationals were receiving three pitchers and two infielders from the Astros.
The real reason why this deal collapsed was recently revealed by former Astros GM Jeff Luhnow.
While speaking on the Crush City Territory podcast with Chandler Rome and Tyler Stafford, Luhnow shared that it’s the Nationals’ ownership that backed out. “Bryce Harper. That deal was done. Players agreed to. The only thing left was ownership approval. And the ownership said no, even though they had kind of pre-cleared the deal. That was huge and would’ve changed a lot of stuff, for sure.”
The Astros and Nationals were not just in talking terms for Harper. The deal, in fact, was essentially completed. The ownership, as usual, had the last say, and they didn’t approve at the last minute.
The Astros were on a historic tear in 2018. Sure, they were tangled in scandals for two consecutive seasons at that time, but think about if Harper would have actually landed with the team.
Just a year earlier, the Astros signed right-hander Justin Verlander. That decision resulted in clinching the World Series title for the Astros. It made sense why they were all in for getting Harper, too.
Throughout his career, Bryce Harper has established himself as one of the best hitters in the league. It was undoubtedly a major miss for the Astros. And not just for the Astros. The Chicago Cubs, too, missed out on Harper during that offseason.
Other clubs were lined up for Bryce Harper before the Phillies
Just last year, in 2024, Bryce Harper met Jed Hoyer (Cubs president of baseball operations). It was unplanned; they basically bumped into each other at a Nashville restaurant. And this April, Harper recalled that meeting with Hoyer and revealed that they were discussing “what-could-have-been” things.
They lost 163 games and the wild card round when they had the opportunity to sign Harper. Even then, there was something about the Cubs and Wrigley Field that attracted him.
“Going into that offseason, they were the No. 1 team on my list,” Harper admitted. Yet, Harper himself directed his agent, Scott Boras, to close the deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. After all, nobody came close enough to what the Phillies offered him—a massive 13-year, $330 million contract.
Well, even though there’s no Harper, the Cubs have another best left-handed hitter, Kyle Tucker.
For a brief stint, Harper also considered signing for the San Francisco Giants. But they were late to the party, even when the franchise considered meeting what Boras and Harper would demand. Still, at the end, Harper signed for the Phillies, and maybe it was for the best. Because, just a few years later after landing in Philadelphia, he admitted, “There’s nothing like coming into [Citizens Bank Park] and playing in front of these fans. Blue-collar mentality, tough, fighting every single day. I get chills, man.”
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