Dodgers: Bryce Harper's Big Postseason Has Some LA Fans Reflecting on 2018 Offseason

The Dodgers chased Bryce Harper in free agency four years ago but came up short. Are L.A. fans regretting their team's refusal to give him what he wanted?

After the 2018 season, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper hit free agency, and Dodgers fans were clamoring for Los Angeles to go out and get him. According to reports, L.A. offered Bryce the highest average annual value contract, but they weren't willing to go long-term the way other teams were. In the end, Harper signed a 13-year deal with Philadelphia.

With Harper leading the Phillies to their first World Series appearance since 2009 and the Dodgers watching on TV from the couches in their vacation homes, some L.A. fans are wondering if the Dodgers missed out by not signing Harper.

Over at Dodgers Nation, they tweeted out a poll asking fans whether Los Angeles made a "big mistake" in not giving Harper the contract he was looking for.

Did Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers make a big mistake by not offering Bryce Harper the contract he wanted in 2018?

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 23, 2022

It's a close vote, but the "No" votes are edging out the "Yes." In the comments, several people bring up the idea that if the Dodgers had signed Harper, they probably wouldn't have traded for Mookie Betts, who led the team to the 2020 World Series title. Even if the only way you judge success is World Series rings, the score right now is Mookie: 1, Bryce: 0, at least for another week.

And in the "If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" department, several of the comments are along the lines of, "It doesn't matter, Dave Roberts would screw it all up anyway." So that's fun.

The Phillies signed Harper to help bring them a World Series title. If he can do his part to complete that goal next week, there's a case to be made that his 13-year deal is already worth it. And obviously, the Dodgers would rather be playing right now than vacationing. One of many reasons the "What if?" game is so infuriating and addicting.