At the 2018 MLB All-Star Game, Bryce Harper, then a member of the Washington Nationals, put his cap on then-Miami Marlins’ catcher J.T. Realmuto, suggesting that he wanted his employer to acquire the All-Star catcher.
Ultimately, the two would become teammates the following season, but as members of the Philadelphia Phillies. Realmuto was acquired in a megadeal in February of 2019, a few weeks before Harper signed a 13-year/$330 million deal to come to the Phillies. At his introductory press conference, Harper said Realmuto was his favorite player in baseball.