At the beginning of December, the Philadelphia Phillies lacked cohesion in their front office and future outlook. Interim general manager Ned Rice took over for Matt Klentak, but the team’s highest-ranking officials, managing partner John Middleton and president Andy MacPhail, spent the first two months of the offseason sending a slew of perturbing signals hinting at the team’s somewhat bleak financial picture.
Harper grew worried. He decided against contacting managing partner John Middleton because he knew he was searching for a new president of baseball operations, but he began to wonder if the team was committed to keeping his word.