Los Angeles Dodgers: How to land Harper, Kluber and Realmuto

Bryce Harper’s contract and final results:

I do not think that Bryce Harper is going to sign a deal that is fewer than eight years in length. While Harper could sign a five-year deal and re-enter free agency still in his prime, it makes no sense for Harper to take that kind of risk.

Instead, the number that we have come up with here at LA Sports Hub is 10-years, $360 million. We wrote an entire article about the contract and when the option years would be and how the contract would pay out year by year. You can find that below.

As for the team itself, the Los Angeles Dodgers would be in a better position than the team was a year ago despite losing the players in the trade with the Reds. While the farm system would take a hit, the Dodgers would only be trading four prospects in the top 10 that were in the organization originally.

Four is a lot but the Dodgers would be getting three bonafide all-stars in return.

Bryce Harper would obviously man right field with Cody Bellinger making the transition to center and Joc Pederson serving as the left-handed option in left field with Chris Taylor being the right-handed option.

Muncy would play first against right-handed pitching, Freese against southpaws, with Enrique Hernandez becoming an everyday player at second base with Austin Barnes even as security. Corey Seager and Justin Turner are obviously everyday guys with Realmuto behind the dish.

Second base is a bit thin but the Dodgers can rotate Hernandez, Taylor and Muncy at second with Freese and Bellinger being interchangeable as well. That gives a lineup looking something like:

Pederson/Taylor, Seager, Turner, Harper, Realmuto, Bellinger, Muncy/Freese, Hernandez, pitcher. That is insane.

As for the rotation, the Dodgers would undoubtedly have the best top three of the order with Clayton Kershaw, Corey Kluber and Walker Buehler. The fourth and fifth spot would belong to Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu with Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling serving as potential options to run a six-man rotation or to become full-time relievers.

At full strength, that starting rotation of Kershaw, Kluber, Buehler, Hill and Ryu is menacing. THAT is a World Series-caliber team.