Plenty of other superstar free agents have changed teams, from Reggie Jackson to Dave Winfield, Andre Dawson to Roger Clemens to Alex Rodriguez. But Bryce Harper forged his own path through the market, waiting and waiting through meeting after meeting.
Now he must hit the ground running. A physical examination Friday, a news conference Saturday, and at that moment he'll be 26 days plus a few hours from his season-opening sprint into the outfield. He has lots of work to do between now and then, through an accelerated schedule.
If Harper were a pitcher, some executives suggested in the aftermath of his agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies, there would be concern about his game-readiness for the start of the season. But for position players, the preparation is different, less time on the calendar is required. Position players already complain that spring training is too long, and for Harper -- who has presumably been taking batting practice in recent days, perhaps as welcome relief from the waiting game -- there is time for at-bats. He could take live batting practice Saturday and Sunday and Monday, and jump into the Phillies' lineup in Clearwater, Florida, on Tuesday against the Cardinals.
Two plate appearances that day, two or three more against the Yankees on Thursday, and, of course, he'll have access to all of the at-bats he wants in the onslaught of minor league games played daily at this time of spring training. If Harper ever felt he was a little behind, needed a little more work, the Phillies could arrange to have him lead off every inning of one of those minor league games.
The greater challenges for Harper might be in dealing with the forthcoming tsunami of demands away from the field. As young players, he and Nationals teammate Stephen Strasburg were generally shielded from some of what was expected from players in other organizations, and given Harper's truncated spring, the Phillies will probably help him out to a degree. He won't be doing every interview with every reporter and blogger and radio host, for sure.
But club execs say that no matter how many media requests are deflected, there will be additional requirements for the guy who is now the face of the Phillies' franchise, someone who signed the biggest contract in baseball history.
Because of the way this played out -- beyond the offseason -- the frenzy over Harper's situation is fully fueled. No baseball free agent has joined a team in this way, in this time of social media.
Harper is generally considered to be a private person by some of his former teammates, but moving forward there must be conversations about marketing, meet-and-greets with and for ownership, the sponsors, and anywhere else the newest Phillie is needed. He might be owed more money than any player ever, but he works for them now. He'll need time to find a place to live in Philadelphia, although with a 13-year contract, there will be plenty of time to pick a permanent home. He can rent now, buy later.
Meanwhile, Harper will work to settle in among new teammates, exchange the bro hugs with Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, Jake Arrieta -- who spent part of Thursday jokingly preparing for Harper's arrival. He'll get to know his new manager, Gabe Kapler, and the Phillies' coaches -- hitting coaches John Mallee and Pedro Guerrero, bench coach Rob Thomson and the others. They'll work to get a sense of Harper, his routine, how and when he likes to take his batting practice; they'll start to get a sense of his body language, when he's looking for help, when he wants to be left alone.
And he could have some stuff to work out, amid the great expectations. Longtime Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira said the other day on the Baseball Tonight podcast that the shortened spring training for any player means if you get off to a bad start, the fact that you were a little behind in your schedule will be in the back of your mind. If Harper hits well in April, something he has always done historically, he'll quickly move beyond any concerns.
No player has faced pressure comparable to what will be foisted in Harper's direction. Each of his first spring plate appearances will be must-watch, but that'll just be a precursor to the big show that'll begin on March 28, at Citizens Bank Park. Every at-bat and expression will be dissected, with some Philly fans initially echoing a question that ricocheted throughout baseball as his free agency dragged on: Does he really want to be in Philadelphia?
Harper's decision, in the end: Yes.
An early slump would draw reaction, of course, and maybe a few boos -- but heck, Mariano Rivera was booed in Yankee Stadium. Harper would inoculate himself from any immediate overreaction by simply playing hard, by showing the kind of effort he demonstrated in one of his first games in the big leagues, against the Phillies.
If you remember: Cole Hamels drilled him on purpose, as Hamels acknowledged after the game -- welcome to the big leagues, the pitcher said -- and after Harper moved to third on a single, he stole home plate when Hamels threw to first. Harper raced into the Nationals' dugout, screaming after crossing the dish.
Phillies fans love that kind of passion, and they want to love him as this relationship begins midway through spring training of 2019.