JUPITER, Fla. — On Thursday morning, before the world had learned where Bryce Harper would be playing for a while, I asked Brodie Van Wagenen if he preferred the slugger go West to the Dodgers or Giants rather than end up a Phillie.
The Mets GM insisted he was “solely focused” on his team, pledging that if it performed as he expects and stays unified, “There’s nobody we can’t beat. We are not concerned about what others do.”
When it was revealed late in the day exactly what another would do — the Phillies agreeing to pay Harper $330 million over the next 13 seasons — I texted to ask Van Wagenen if this changed anything.