Bryce Harper says he nearly picked Giants over Phillies in 2019 free agency

Bryce Harper was nearly a Giant.

The MLB superstar revealed on Monday during a conversation with Pat McAfee that when he was a free agent in 2019, he almost signed with San Francisco.

“It came down to Phillies or Giants,” the 33-year-old said.

Harper, of course, ultimately opted to put pen to paper with Philadelphia, officially agreeing to a 13-year, $330 million contract in March 2019.

But the two-time MVP said if manager Bruce Bochy hadn’t called the ’19 season his last in a Giants uniform, there was a very good chance he was going to make the Bay Area his new home.

“It was close,” Harper said. “The thing that killed me was Bochy was retiring. He’s the greatest of all-time.”

Adding further salt into Giants fans wounds, Harper — who began his MLB career with the Nationals after he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft — actually trolled some pro-San Francisco hecklers about the choice while on set with McAfee in Scottsdale, Ariz.

McAfee, in town to help preview the upcoming the World Baseball Classic, asked Harper what he thought some fans were yelling in his direction.

“They probably are thinking, ‘Man, he could have been here with the Giants,’” Harper responded. “‘But he’s not.’”

In seven seasons with the Phillies, Harper’s played in 858 games and hit .281. He’s belted 184 home runs and recorded 521 RBIs, and won the 2021 MVP award.

The Giants and their fans will get another up-close look at him later Tuesday, when Harper and Team USA take on San Francisco in a WBC tuneup at Scottsdale Stadium.

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