The Dodgers, Giants, Angels, Phillies and Rays are all in on free agent Josh Harrison at the moment, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred.
Reported interest from the Giants and Angels isn’t anything new for Harrison, but this is the first time the Dodgers, Phillies and Rays have been connected to him in any major way this offseason. The 31-year-old Harrison is available on the heels of a below-average season with the Pirates, who declined his $10.5MM club option in favor of a $1MM buyout afterward, but has typically been a decent offensive player and a solid, versatile defender during his career. Consequently, Harrison has drawn widespread interest on the open market.
A .277/.317/.408 hitter in 3,012 plate appearances, Harrison has posted a 98 wRC+ and a 97 OPS+, falling just shy of the league-average mark of 100. He has also accrued significant reps at second, third and in the corner outfield, though the vast majority of his 2018 playing time came at the keystone.
Harrison would provide the Dodgers yet another multi-position defender, and as a right-handed hitter, he’d give the lefty-heavy team some variety in its lineup. For Philly, Harrison may be a fallback option at third base in the event the club doesn’t sign free agent Manny Machado, though it’s debatable at best whether the former is superior to current starter Maikel Franco. The Phillies already have a quality starter at second in Cesar Hernandez, so it’s doubtful Harrison would see much action there. Unlike both the big-spending Dodgers and Phillies, the Rays operate with a bottom-of-the-barrel payroll. Still, they should be able to afford Harrison, who’d offer them further protection behind second baseman Joey Wendle, third baseman Matt Duffy and corner outfielders Tommy Pham and Austin Meadows.
Stupid money
I don’t understand where he’d fit on the Angels unless Eppler has a trade set up or considers him an outfielder.
Cozart, Simmons, Fletcher, La Stella, Bour, and Pujols are all set for the infield with a few guys in AAA who could come up this year.
Getting the vibe that they don’t trust Cozart…
Calhoun to Giants for Watson??
The Angels would love that deal…..Giants? Not so much.
i really like Kole. i think he deserves a chance to reassert himself
Calhoun can’t catch fastball anymore. Makes him slow for all other pitches. Happens to a lot of players.
I think Cozart is viewed as 2B option due to shoulder injury, which might explain interest in Harrison as a 3B with positional flexibility.
Otherwise, I think Harrison is nice-to-have at the right price for the Angels, but hardly a necessity. Cozart, Fletcher and La Stella give Ausmus plenty of lineup options already.
I think Cozart’s 2018 was an outlier. He’ll bounce back in the upcoming season.
Injury was to his left shoulder so it really shouldn’t be a factor in where he play defensively. On top of that Fletcher can play both 2B&3B making Harrison redundant. Maybe they want insurance for the unproven guys (Fletch/Rengifo) and feel like Harrison is worth the price for said insurance. I don’t like it though…
I would think a damaged/recovering left shoulder would impair the player’s ability to lay out for a ground ball to his left, which would be a larger liability at 3B than at 2B.
Nevertheless, in agreement that Harrison is redundant with Cozart/Fletcher/La Stella capable of multiple positions.
Maybe just going all-in on multiple position guys
this is my line of thinking
gee i hope so
i feel like s dork thought it was jis r arm. how did he injure the left labrum?
Diving to his right IIRC.
Cozart’s 2017 was the clear outlier in his career. No reason to believe cozart is that kind of player. I’m sure he’ll improve at the plate some but to expect him to be a key contributor would be a risky bet.
hmm. he had a great year before we signed him. we still owe him 2 yrs. at 13 mil per year. i wonder if cozart will end up at 2nd somewhere along the line due to his shoulder?
Maybe Calhoun to Giants for Watson
Fletcher can’t hit. His exit velocity was the second worst in baseball last year. Cozart was awful at 3rd last year. Maybe he can play second. If that’s the price tag of Harrison, bring in Moustakas for two years.
Angel’s certainly don’t need anymore infield help, if they are in on Harrison, it’ll be a 1 yr deal and to me seems like more proof Eppler’s punting 2019 in hopes for a huge 2020 run. Harvey, Cahill, Lucroy, Allen, Calhoun, Cozart and possibly now Harrison. All these ending contracts and 1 yr deals are lined up to secure a huge trade haul at the deadline. The hope is these players are doing well enough to secure good returns, then hit 2020 with both money to spend AND a huge farm to trade from. Don’t expect much in 2019, until the off-season when the Angel’s are going to be BUSY for 2020.
Poor mans Marwin. Regardless, I’d like to have him on LA on a one-year deal. Always liked him.
I have watched Josh throughout his Pirate career. He would be an asset for any team. He can play a number of different positions. Josh is enthusiastic, team player. Wish him the best!
Completely agree! I would have posted almost exactly the same thing.
Ditto! As a Cards’ fan knowing that he will be out of the division is a blessing. Somebody is going to get an awfully good player
@wvpirate @pghpintripes
I was born and raised in NY but I’ve traveled extensively throughout the mid-west on business. It really, really is cool to see the fans of a small market team such as the Pirates have that kinda of revelry for players who weren’t stars, by any stretch of the imagination, but nonetheless, impressed favorably among their fan base. Pittsburgh had always been one of my favorite cities to spend over night. Whatever it is you want, you can find it with a semi-Midwestern appeal attached. It’s dope that you have such affinity to a marginal players such as Harrison (no shade). You guys have little but what you have is always appreciated. #shoutouttomiddleamerica
What a joke. Enthusiasm doesn’t make up for the fact hes a subpar player.
From 2014-2017, Josh had a .290/.331/.428 line while also showing some really good base running ability. Also, I’m sure a lot of teams would like to have a player who isn’t a slouch offensively, and play multiple positions (both in the infield and outfield) at an average-to-above average level.
Watching him in 2018, he is clearly on the downside of his career, offensively and defensively
Now let’s talk about 2018, the most recent and relevant data
If Josh can be healthy for all of or most of the season, he can definitely be an asset to a team.
Josh was hurt pretty much the entire 2018 season. His numbers from 2014-2017 better exemplify who he is as a player. Remember he’s a 2x All Star for a reason
Because every team needs to be represented?
Compared to?
I’ve always liked Josh. He’ll definitely be an asset to any team he signs with.
Seems like a great guy. He’d be very easy to root for.
That’s quite a fall off from Machado to Harrison.
I know right. It’s like….hmmm….if they don’t sign this uber superstar they’ll sign this marginal guy who’s a great role-player guy but won’t really move the needle in terms of being competitive.
Oh great cause the Dodgers need another utility player..
Giants. . . Then trade bait at the deadline… 1 for 7 mil
I would love to see him in a Brewers uniform. I’m surprised that the Brewers aren’t one of the clubs he is linked to.
eh yeah, would much rather have Franco than Harrison
The Angels need a lefty or 2 in the bull pen over another infielder.
true
As a Dodgers fan I would like it; Harrison at 2B, Muncy to 1B and Belli a staple in CF…
I’d like Pollock in CF, Muncy at 2B and Belli at 1st better
You think Muncy can play second?
Pirates probably couldn’t have declined his club option any faster. Glad to see the Braves aren’t in on this vastly overrated player.
These days, it would be vastly faster to just say who the Dodgers don’t have interest in, if such a thing exists.
‘Vastly faster’ is definitely a way of attempting to use a big word and failing.
However, you break even with your screen name.
Dodgers interested in Harrison? Fits its profile over last 3 seasons trying at different times: Darwin Barney, Alberto Callaspo, Ronald Torreyes, Mike Freeman, Logan Forsythe, and Brian Dozier. Good grief! Learn a lesson and use your in-house second basemen Taylor or Hernandez, both of whom are better than Harrison.
although forsythe could rise to the occasion when it counted on playoffs if i remember right
Overall, a huge disappointment for whom Dodgers gave up a legit RH pitching prospect, Jose De Leon
De Leon sure did light the league on fire since the trade…
TJ surgery — see how he does this season. He was/is a legit pitching prospect
The Rangers are also supposedly hot and heavy after Harrison.
He would fit the Athletics really well.
If the Dodgers desire a versatile player somewhat similar to Josh Harrison then perhaps they can acquire him in a potential trade with the White Sox involving Joc Pederson.
Chicago has two switch-hitters who would provide versatility. The better of the two would be Yolmer Sanchez who has been the White Sox starting 2B and 3B in each of the past two seasons. He could become expendable if the White Sox are successful in luring Manny Machado to the South Side. What Sanchez lacks in offense compared to Harrison, he more than makes up with his defensive acumen. The other versatile player would be Leury Garcia who has spent more time in the White Sox outfield recently but is capable of playing 2B, SS and 3B in addition to all three OF positions.
A trade of Sanchez for Pederson could be more of a straight up type proposal. one involving Garcia would require the White Sox to pony up more in the form of some prospect capital and/or a bullpen arm.
Neither Sanchez (poor splits against LH pitching; poor OBP) or Garcia fit the Dodgers needs. More likely Dodgers will want prospects for Pederson who could either be flipped to another team, or replace Dodgers prospects used in another trade, perhaps for Realmuto.
You are underrating Yolmer Sanchez who would not only provide the Dodgers with Gold Glove caliber defense at 2B but also comes with the versatility to back up at SS and 3B. The Dodgers were said to be in pursuit of D.J. Lemahieu but lost out on him the the Yankees. Sanchez has 3 more years of arbitration eligible control making him a considerably cheaper option, one who wouldn’t provide the offensive upside of Lemahieu or FA Josh Harrison but would match or exceed their defense at 2B.
Poor splits against LH pitching and low OBP — does not fit with Dodgers. Good player, but not what Dodgers need on this roster. Dodgers will not trade Pederson for Sanchez; Marwin Gonzalez is better all around and does not cost anything but $
By May, the Rays are going to wish they sought a starting shortstop instead of a backup corner guy, of which they have the free world supply of (D-Rob, Wendle, Lowe, etc.). Adames can’t throw accurately; hard stop. If they were smart enough, it’s Adames who they would be willing to move around. They need defense in order to compete, and they ain’t gonna get it from Willie.
I hope all the high school and college coaches out there are keeping an eye on MLB trends. I believe going forward it will be MUCH easier for utility players to hang on for much longer than we might be used to – teams value versatility so much (and rightfully so, IMO).
Get those young talents out there familiar with a variety of positions. It’s a much better path to MLB longevity.
Jay Hay still looking for a job, bummer. Good player and guy to be on the FA market this long.
Thank God the Mets didn’t trade Nimmo for him a year ago or so
Come to the south side (the real side) of Chicago and be a winner. And be the only Jhey in Chicago worth the contract
To be clear, JHay is not worth $10.5M, so declining the option was easy. The Pirates probably hoped he would be Zobrist 2.0 ($12.5M) but that didn’t happen. However, JHay is an average hitter, with plus versatility, and plus plus intangibles. At the right price, he will be an excellent addition to a competitive team.
It is fun to watch him play! Do you know why I watch baseball? It is fun!
Hope he signs with the Ray’s, I don’t want the Giants to sign him, and for whatever reason he has had some big games against them so let him go play in the AL east where they went see him anytime soon.
Won’t* see him
At first I thought the Pirates were moving Dave Parker
Put the Cobra in the Hall!
Because of his versatility, Josh Harrison might be a good signing for a team willing to sign him to a short term contract, no longer than 2 years, and. at a sharply discounted rate. He is more of a part-time player now whose skills are eroding quickly as he ages.. Not sure if he can react rapidly enough, nor make the throws from deep in the outfield, to be much more than an occasional filler there.. Same might be said of his play at third base- not a position that he can play well anymore. Great club house presence, though.
Franco/Kingery > Harrison
I would love to see him in Detroit playing 2B, on a contract that was tradeable at the deadline. Always loved his versatility.
I don’t buy that the Angels have interest in Harrison. He’s a nice player and better than Cozart, but with Cozart already signed for two more years, it doesn’t make much sense. Marwin Gonzalez or Neil Walker would seem to be a better fit. Even Ben Zobrist if rumors are true that Cubs have interest in trading him.
Why the interest Philly? Franco is as good if not better and younger. SMH!
I view Harrison as a solid veteran for a rebuilding team. I’m not sure he should be signed by a contender outright.
It would be smart of a team like the Tigers to sign him and flip him if he plays well at the deadline for a prospect.