Though he plays the outfield, Bryce Harper said he is going to make a pretty strong pitch for superstar Mike Trout to join him on the Philadelphia Phillies.
However, that proposed pitch, which the new Phillies slugger detailed during an appearance on SportsRadio 94WIP in Philadelphia on Tuesday, may land Harper in some hot water with Major League Baseball.
After hearing what Harper had to say about selling Trout on the prospect of coming to Philadelphia in 2021 when he becomes a free agent, the Los Angeles Angels have contacted MLB about tampering.
“We’ve been in touch with MLB and we have no further comment at this time,” Angels general manager Billy Eppler said in regard to Harper’s comments.
League rules prevent players from even hypothetically enticing others to join clubs that are not their own while they’re under contract.
Here’s what Harper said to provoke LA’s ire: “If you don’t think I’m gonna call Mike Trout to come to Philly in 2020, you’re crazy. For me, I can be able to talk to Trout, or whoever it is, big-name free agent or whoever wants to come to Philly or is thinking about coming to Philly, I can say ‘Hey, this is the place to be. This is where the fans are great, ownership understands it, our manager is awesome.’ I can really put that faith in myself in being able to say we are able to go about it the right way, we are the Philadelphia Phillies and we want whoever wants to come to Philly.”
Trout, a two-time AL MVP with the Angels, grew up near Philadelphia and has season tickets for the Eagles.
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