Report: Phillies could be player for Harper in free agency

The Philadelphia Phillies want Bryce Harper to remain in the National League East when he hits free agency after the 2018 season. They just hope he's on their team.

Harper is expected to land one of the richest contracts in free-agent history when he hits the open market, and the Phillies would reportedly be interested in trying to sign the four-time All-Star, a team source told John Perrotto of FanRag Sports.

Philadelphia is coming through a long rebuild and should be competitive with a strong young core of Maikel Franco, J.P. Crawford, Mickey Moniak, and Aaron Nola, among others, all playing together in the majors when Harper becomes available.

The price tag to lock up Harper long term could surpass $400 million. It's been heavily speculated that the New York Yankees will be the front-runners, but the Phillies should have the funds available to make an aggressive offer. Philadelphia only has $5.35 million in guaranteed salary committed to the 2019 season, and a large number of its core players are in their early arbitration years.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has expressed his desire to keep Harper around. However, the club didn't have any long-term extension talks when the two sides agreed to a record-setting $21.65-million deal for 2018 in what is Harper's final season of arbitration, and it's unknown if they can match some of the offers Harper will receive.

No longer having Harper on the opposition would be welcome news in Philadelphia. The 2015 NL MVP is hitting .282/.384/.532 with 20 home runs and 54 RBIs in 89 games against the Phillies for his career.