MIAMI, FL – JULY 26: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals in action against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on July 26, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Bryce Harper still hasn’t chosen his next team, but the All-Star outfielder has narrowed his choice down to the Giants and Phillies.
It may seem like Bryce Harper has been a free agent for the better part of a decade, but the reality is that it’s only been a few months. Fortunately, it seems the talented outfielder is finally closing in on a final decision.
According to Bob Nightengale, Harper will either take his talents to San Francisco or Philadelphia. The Phillies have long been interested in inking Harper to a massive contract, bu the Giants are a relative newcomer to the race. They seem keen to take advantage of the player’s inability to garner the type of offer he thought he’d get when free agency began.
No one should be surprised that Harper is closing in on a decision. Spring Training is only days away for most teams across the MLB. It’s safe to assume that a flurry of free agents are going to come off the board over the next several days. Harper and Manny Machado are the two most talented players available, but there are a lot of quality players still looking for jobs at this late date.
The real question is what sort of contract Harper ultimately will sign. There have been persistent rumblings about several teams trying to engage him in talks about a lucrative, short-term deal. Don’t expect the Phillies or Giants to succeed in getting Harper to make that sort of agreement. Expect him to require a big-money, long-term deal from either team.
It would be a shock to see him sign a contract for anything fewer than eight years. He reportedly turned down a 10-year, $300 million offer from the Nationals during the season and it’s possible he’ll be forced to take fewer years and fewer dollars now. An eight-year, $250 million deal sounds reasonable for where Harper’s deal will ultimately land.
Either the Phillies or Giants are about to get a franchise player, but they’re going to pay dearly for his services. Nonetheless, fans in both cities should be excited at the prospect of adding such a talented slugger in his prime.