ALLENTOWN, Pa. — There was just something about Bryce Harper that had JLB GM Jimmy Johnson and the Slammers’ organization obsessed.
This obsession didn’t spurn from the Philadelphia signing. It didn’t even come from the rumors in November.
It had always been there, and the Slammers' acquisition of Harper on Sunday marked a multi-year courting process that started the moment the Dude joined the JLB.
It was a long drive to Knoebels, an amusement park in central Pennsylvania, that started it all.
It wasn’t often that Johnson opted not to drive, but he purposely let his wife take the wheel that day to give him the chance to help explain via Facebook messages the rules of the JLB to newcomer Jason McGuirk.
After running through all the nuances of the JLB, the idea of a Harper trade was floated.
It didn’t lead to anything as naturally, McGuirk wanted to adjust to the League before making any big decisions, but the seed was planted.
Johnson wasn’t sure what would grow from there, but never could he imagine the next two-plus years of negotiating that would ensue.
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When Johnson was a young child, he desperately wanted a toy Ghostbusters proton pack.
He asked and asked and asked again, but his parents weren’t going to buy it.
“You have to earn it,” they would say.
And so, quarter-by-quarter, the young child saved his allowance. Chore after chore led to more quarters until finally, he had enough to buy it.
Cashing in on the toy never felt better, but it wasn’t just because he finally could run around the house and capture imaginary ghouls; it was because it signified success.
That persistence remained in Johnson as he grew older and he applied that dedication to everything in life. At 13, he wanted to play guitar, so he taught himself. At 17, he wanted to be a manager, so he earned the keys to Footaction USA and was opening and closing the store as a senior in high school. At 22, he wanted to switch things up and become a sports writer, and two years later, he was sitting in the press box at Super Bowl XL. At 26, he wanted to move into video, and years later, he was running a digital network. And in the fourth grade, he started writing with the hopes of becoming an author, and in 2015, he published the first of two fiction novels.
So when he set his eyes on Harper, he knew that no matter how much time passed, he was going to reach his goal.
McGuirk had no clue that on that random summer day as he asked questions about keepers and minor leaguers, he was already being reeled in for the big trade.
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Nothing in life ever comes easy.
The first official run at Harper came on Jan. 29 of 2017. The Slammers offered George Springer, Andrew McCutchen and Mitch Keller — along with a player to be named later by McGuirk — but to no avail.
Instead, Keller went to McGuirk in a lesser deal.
This was essentially Johnson pouring water onto the topsoil to feed the thirsty seed he had planted months prior.
Another run later that year in July led to the response: “Johnson. I ain’t trading no Harper for that trash.”
It wasn’t the response he had hoped, but success never came with a little bit of failure along the way.
An offseason went by without Johnson checking in, but in May of 2018, an early season slump provided the right opportunity.
“Ready to give up on that .220 hitter Bryce Harper?” Johnson said in a Facebook message.
No response.
Three days later: “How about now?”
Still no response.
A few months later on July 16, the slump was even worse, so Johnson made another run.
“Any thoughts on swapping Harper for a starting pitcher?”
“Harper ain’t moving,” McGuirk said. “He’s happy batting .215 for me.”
The trade deadline passed and it was on to the offseason — the offseason of Bryce Harper’s much anticipated free agency.
On Dec. 14, 2018, the first mention of an offseason Harper deal arose, but again, McGuirk wasn’t in.
It was the same old story. That’s why on Jan. 15, 2019, Johnson was shocked when a green bud emerged out of the dirt.
The Dude had made the first move in the Slammers’ direction.
“I expect to be handed a blank check and fill it out if he signs with Philly,” he said.
Johnson approved and the waiting game began.
Days slowly went by with no Harper deals in sight — both in the JLB and the MLB.
Finally, Thursday, Feb. 28, at 2:50 p.m. The news breaks. Harper has signed with Philly.
Minutes later, a message is sent from the Johnson to McGuirk.
“Hi. How are you?” Johnson said, adding a smiley face. “I’d like to make my stupid offer today.”
Twenty-three hours later, in true Scott Boras fashion, there still was no response.
Then, finally, it came.
“I don’t know if you go the goods. I need Bregman.”
Johnson obliged with a little wavering on trading the young star third baseman. The conversation eventually ended with Johnson saying, “You let me know if anyone beats Bregman.”
Again, Scott Boras-like silence.
Nothing.
The deal appeared to be dead. So dead that Johnson put out feelers on Austin Meadows, Andrew McCutchen and Byron Buxton.
They could never equal what Johnson wanted, but it was what was left on the table, and the Slammers needed one more outfielder.
As Johnson watched the Saturday press conference on MLB Network with Bryce Harper shining in red pinstripes, the thought ran through Johnson’s mind.
He’s never going to be a Slammer.
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The bubbles were multiplying in the warm water and Johnson’s son Lucas was jumping anxiously outside the tub.
“Bubbles!” he shouted.
The tub continued to fill as the chime of a cellphone notification cut through the white noise of the faucet on full blast.
It took a few seconds to access the email and the subject line of “A TRADE HAS BEEN PROPOSED” smacked Johnson in the face.
What could this be? he thought.
He was not prepared for what was inside.
The Dude has offered Bryce Harper for Alex Bregman and Luis Robert.
“Holy crap!” Johnson said. “It’s finally here! The blank check!”
The urge to hit accept right away was overwhelming.
Somehow Johnson attended to his job as a father first and finished the bath.
Lucas, who turned 2 on Tuesday, didn’t understand, but he was asked several times during the bath: “Should I trade Bregman for Bryce Harper?”
He didn’t answer, but at least when asked for advice, he didn’t try to undercut him.
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The JLB is filled with great owners — owners who love everything about the silly game of fantasy. Trades get everyone excited, even if it doesn’t involve their team.
Trade rumors fly around as teams ask others for advice.
In the moments after Lucas went to bed, the Slammers looked to Parker and Choo for advice.
“I can’t take this deal. Tell me why I should take this deal. … Just want to make sure this isn’t overly stupid.”
Parker responded, “You better accept. I’m about to steal him away!”
He added a winky face, but he wasn’t kidding. He tried.
Meanwhile, Choo was quiet.
Where could he be? Johnson wondered.
The answer was simple. He was trying to steal Harper away.
“Choo throwing two last-second deals at me was great,” McGuirk said. “I don’t know if you were aware of that. Like at 9:05 p.m. or something.”
Six minutes later, at 9:11 p.m., Choo finally weighed in with his advice: “You should do the deal.”
At that point, the deal was all but done. It would have been accepted 10 minutes prior, but there was an agreement to have the deal announced on the Jargon & Hubs podcast recording — and it was.
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There’s a certain anxiety that comes from hitting accept in a deal of that magnitude, but in this case, it wasn’t there.
Years of hard work and prep have led to this moment.
A whole offseason of setting up for this had come to fruition.
All along, Johnson knew to get Harper it was going to take Alex Bregman or Jose Ramirez.
Trading Jose Ramirez to get Springer — a potential trade piece for Harper — and Chapman, coverage for third base and Amed Rosario for coverage at shortstop was key. Willy Adames also provided extra insurance for shortstop if Bregman were to leave for Harper because that is the position Bregman was slotted into for 2019.
One last deal made this possible. Alex Kirilloff was added because Johnson knew all along it was going to take an OF prospect to get this done, whether it was Luis Robert, Kyle Tucker or Alex Kirilloff.
Every move this offseason was another quarter in the jar, and finally, on March 3, Johnson cashed in for his proton pack.
Success.
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