Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: the only time I will talk about Bryce Harper

Nope… I’m not buying in on this, but in the absence of any real news, let’s at least talk about it for one day.

I don’t believe that the Atlanta Braves are even entertaining the notion of trying to sign Bryce Harper this Winter.  He – or maybe just Scott Boras – just wants too much coin for too long a period of time.

Then there’s the inevitable things like opt-outs or no-trade clauses that will likely be demanded as well.  Such clauses are anathema to the Braves organization and thus have historically been avoided like the plague.

Such a contract would financially tie the hands of the organization for a full decade – at least – which could have ripple effects like not being able to re-sign many of the stud youngsters already on the roster.

Then there’s the whole notion of whether Harper is even worth that kind of cost or whether he’s a real clubhouse guy or whether he might blow out via an injury from his violent swing or whether he might slow down and tailspin down in his 30’s or… a few other issues like defense.

Yes – there’s lots of reasons to walk away from Harper and to toss his Boras-made dossier into the trash.

But for today – and today only – I’m going to spell out the circumstances in which this could happen and the reasons why the Braves should embrace the opportunity… even though I’m not personally buying the story that will follow.