The Braves ‘make a lot of sense’ for Bryce Harper, according to friend of Bryce Harper

The Braves “make a lot of sense” for Bryce Harper, according to a friend of Bryce Harper.

I love free agent rumors in April.

Harper was first connected to the Braves earlier this week by Steve Phillips of XM Radio. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports then reported the two seemed like a fit for a number of reasons, all of which we are familiar with.

1) They don’t have a right fielder (Nick Markakis is also in his walk year).

2) They have spent the past several years saving up, and by the end of this year, should all be very tired of losing.

3) They have the young pitching and select position stars (i.e. Ronald Acuña) that could make them attractive to free agents.

Harper is the crown jewel of the loaded 2018-2019 free agent class. He will have no shortage of suitors, and he will surely land one of the biggest -- if not the biggest -- contracts ever handed out. He won’t turn 26 until October. And despite a handful of injuries throughout his first six years in the league, he owns a ridiculous career line of .285/.388/.525 with a 142 wRC+. He’s really freaking good, if you haven’t noticed.

Just about every team in baseball will have interest in Harper. He would not come cheap. And while a friend of his says Atlanta would make sense as a possible landing spot, in no way does this mean Harper is actually coming. I’d put a 5 percent chance on it as of today.

It’s fun to dream, though, and who knows? Maybe this time in a year Braves fans are cheering for Harper instead of booing him as he cranks a 400-foot homer into the Chop House.