A Look at the Top Free Agents by Position for the Dodgers- Outfield

I didn’t even title the slide ‘right field’ because there are no right fielders I want to sign. I just want Bryce Harper. Stop trying to sign cheap, stop trying to save Puig. Pay the money and sign Harper. 

I’ll get the valuation out of the way, Harper needs between six and ten years and he should make $30 million a year. He’s good and is worth the dough that his future team will pay.

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Oddly, it sounds like his market is smaller than originally believed. The Dodgers are in, yes, but the Nationals are out and it sounds like the Yankees have no intention of making a run.

The lack of competition does not bring the price down, it just makes it easier to sign the 26-year old former MVP winner.

Harper has more career homers in his first seven seasons than Barry Bonds did and has the star power that the Dodgers are yet to sign on the free agent market. It does speak against the philosophy of Andrew Friedman but signing him would be awesome.

If I am the general manager of the Dodgers my only concern with Harper is his atrocious defense. You are almost better off putting Harper at first base and praying that you are putting him in the right spot. In 2018, Harper’s DRS as a right fielder was -16 and that number does not even give the buyer confidence that things will one day turn around. His outs above replacement buy arm was -5.5 and again, Harper is the most unattractive defensive right fielder in the game.

But, put the makeup on the pig and sign Harper for the bat. Put him in right field and pay the money to do it. I’m buying in.

This concludes our look at the outfield market. If I had to pick a favorite other than Bryce it would be Billy Hamilton. Adding that kind of speed to the lineup is so rare and doing it could be a lot more helpful than you think. At the end of the day though, just give me Harper.