How Bryce Harper planted the flag in Philly and got his friends to follow Cool to see guys picking the Phillies again

PHILADELPHIA — John Middleton wanted to be the one to tell Bryce Harper. So, shortly after lunchtime in Philadelphia on the first Monday in December, once Trea Turner had accepted the Phillies’ $300 million offer, the owner reached for his phone and called the star slugger at home in Las Vegas. “You’ve got to be kidding me right now,” Harper replied. It isn’t that Harper was surprised. Hardly. The Phillies needed a middle infielder, and Turner is the best all-around shortstop in baseball — a two-time All-Star, former batting champion, and World Series winner in Washington in 2019. The fit…