8:10pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the Dodgers’ interest in Harper is still “predicated on [a] short-term deal,” though he adds that the Giants are indeed in “heavy” on Harper.
1:26pm: All of the teams still engaged with Harper’s camp — including, presumably, the Dodgers and Phillies — have discussed contracts of at least one decade in length, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).
1:16pm: The sides are discussing a ten-year deal, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Salary levels are not known, but Pavlovic says the Giants’ offer would “likely give Harper a chance at the record dollar figure he has been looking for.”
11:48am: The Giants met again yesterday with Bryce Harper, according to a report from Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group. CEO Larry Baer and president of baseball operations made a return trek to Las Vegas.
This news is all the more notable given that the rival Dodgers have jumped into the mix on Harper. Having now met twice with Harper and agent Scott Boras, it seems the San Francisco organization remains a serious pursuer.
The Phillies are also continuing their efforts to land the prized free agent, who is surely hoping to spark a late bidding war. Philadelphia is reportedly willing to commit over $300MM in a deal, with one other (as-yet-unidentified) team perhaps also playing in that range.
There had been “optimism” that the Phils would work out a deal by this point, but more recent developments have kept the door open to other organizations. As a Vegas native, Harper may well prefer to land on the west coast, though that’s all still guesswork even at this late stage of the market proceedings.
It’s possible we’re seeing some final positioning here from the remaining suitors. Whether the last bidding is underway isn’t known, but there have been indications that Harper will make a call this week and it stands to reason that he’d prefer to get into camp sooner than later.
Jordan 5
Tick tock tick tock
stymeedone
“it stands to reason that he’d prefer to get into camp sooner than later.” There’s been absolutely no reason in these negotiations, and if he wanted to be in camp, he would be. If he tells his agent he wants to be signed before camp, then I would expect the agent to follow his direction. Obviously, no such direction was given.
path501@yahoo.com 2
We’re talking about Scott Boras who, in my opinion, considers himself the “Elite” in baseball matters, not the players.
hazmat13
Scott Boras, no matter how you feel about him, is elite as an agent. He’s arguably the best sports agent in the world.
John P Slevin
@path501 True. It’s funny how many people complain about Boras for doing what he’s supposed to do for his clients.
realist101
He is definitely very good as an agent when he has truly top of the market players.
It’s arguable, though, that his tendency to start with borderline outlandish contract demands and then try to work teams up has cost several of his clients money over the past couple years. Specifically:
– Moustakas has made less money than taking the QO last year, and is also on track to make less than a reported 3 / $45 million offer from the Angels last offseason.
– Arrieta reportedly turned down a Cubs offer in the range of Darvish’s contract (6 / $126 million guaranteed) and instead ended up with 3 / $75 million guaranteed.
– Marwin Gonzalez reportedly started with a very high contract ask (4 / $60 million) and ended up signing for 2 / $21 million last week. It’s arguable that he could have gotten more money on a two-year deal, or a three-year guarantee, earlier in the offseason.
As a counter to that for a non-elite player, Boras did get Hosmer a far bigger contract than I thought would be the case.
black69
I disagree that he’s a good agent. He has his schtick. It doesn’t always work. The way he approaches the QO is dated, and his urging to get to free agency isn’t always in the best interest of the player.
An agent MANAGES YOUR CAREER, not just your salary. Look at Matt Weiters. What about Stephen Drew? They’ve never been the same.
Free agency isn’t for everyone. Some players don’t thrive in that environment. Agents should be advising players on all aspects of their career, not just their wallet.
black69
Frankly, I full well believe Andruw Jones would be in the Hall of Fame if it wasn’t for Scott Boras. That was a generational talent squandered in his prime because he wasn’t comfortable. The Braves didn’t have another dependable Centerfielder for a decade following his departure. You think he wouldn’t have played better for a manager who he thinks of like a dad?
binarydaddy
Boras and EVERY OTHER AGENT no longer cares about managing anything. They want their 12-20% payday so they can continue the lavish lifestyle their used to. Boras is only so good because most players nowadays in most sports (not including hockey because hockey is king) want the money! Anyone ever see Jerry Magyire?! It’s all about the money in this economy.
If you got even Marginal talent you’ll want to squeeze every dollar you can out of whomever…that’s what agents are for period!
averagejoe15
It does feel as though he has misadvised all three. Though it was never verified that Moose or Arrieta actually had those offers formally on the table.
It goes both ways though, maybe the players themselves were pushing Boras to find more and willing to take the risk.
I do think Marwin would have gotten more had he signed earlier. How did DJ Lemahieu out earn him?
Koamalu
Agents work for the players, not the other way around.
Koamalu
No agent gets 12%. Most get less than 5%. Boras may get 5-6%. He is that good.
duke69sw
Scott Boras is running circles around the Phillies organizartion. It’s like they don’t know what to do. Phillies fan are going to be heartbroken. Stupid $$ now looks like a joke. Does anyone over there know what they are doing?
VonPurpleHayes
duke, that’s a big assumption. Maybe the Phils put in 1 offer and are holding firm.
The Phillies had a fantastic offseason even without landing 1 of the big 2. Of course there may be some disappointment because of the “stupid money” comment, but so far the Phillies have been pretty smart and built a competitive team.
GoldenArm
Do you know for certain that Boras was telling Moustakas what to do? The player has the upper hand when he hires an agent. Moose may very well have told Boras what to ask for, and not to settle for anything below x amount…unless you KNOW different, you just can’t assume Boras is setting prices. he can recommend parameters, unless the player says he want to stay out of it and for Boras to handle everything. I would bet Arrieta was driving his own boat and screwed himself in the process. But it’s just a guess, and until either the player or Boras himself speaks up about negotiations, it is impossible to tell who is controlling the negotiations.
Chrysostom
They acquired Bautista in Bour in the midst of a pennant chase so…
JJB
That sounds about right:
forbes.com/sites/danielkleinman/2018/09/27/a-sport…
ThatBallwasBryzzoed
He’s not elite. At all. He’s talentless.
andremets
I think steroid testing had a lot more to with Jones’s dropoff.
ctyank7
Correct. Klentak and MacPhail flubbed on the mid season deals.
Sure, Segura was a mart move — as was moving Santana (who they should never brought in to begin with), but they have been played for suckers by Boras and Harper,who kept them in the bidding process only to raise the price for the Dodgers or Giants.
qazer
On these kinds of deals, the agent gets around 2%, not 12-20%.
thekid9
Ask Jason Varitek if he like Boras. Rejecting $10M, signed for $5M
Shrewd.
STLBaseballFanSince2020
Then why do so many big names have him represent them?
Dan Miller
He’s done a lot to help his clients, but he’s damaged the game of baseball perhaps more than anyone else in this country. The game is bigger than the players, except in Scott Boras’s greedy mind. Unfortunately he’s gotten a lot of deep pocketed and shallow minded GMs to fork over the kind of money he’s demanded which has resulted in escalating contracts for everyone, even for marginal MLB players. You don’t even have to be good to make 10 million dollars a year anymore, and who are the ones paying for it? The fans.
Numbr1bballfan
harper have no exquse not join giants now. how you like 10 year deal how you like play with multi champion giants harper? If you read this sign contract now or you will regret this desision for rest of life
KCJ
I think he’ll manage just fine either way with his $300+ million.
Numbr1bballfan
Money not all not evrything in world. sometime harper have to think he cood be next bonds. left hand power hit outfealder. bonds come hear and become hr KING if harper come hear he cood be next hr KING. something harper shood think about
KCJ
Yeah, or he could be the next Jim Thome in Philly….but most likely he’s more concerned with being the FIRST Bryce Harper before being “the next” anything. I also don’t understand why you seem to think why San Francisco is some kind of baseball utopia??
Boogaloo
Who cares that they won years ago.
The team is old, overpaid and has little help on the way.
Harper can go win 75 games a year if he wants.
Hell be traded in three years if hes playing well.
myaccount
Can’t be dealt with a no trade clause
Numbr1bballfan
the giants not old they still in prime lol. he wants to be with giants cuz if you think about names dodger what is that? phillie a girl horse i think? GIANT speek for self. City LA grate city but lots pollusion i have fam there and mex fans try to beat up for just root for giants. phillie grate city but meen fans will be rood to harper evry time he mess up. SF just lots of love and suport. plus dodger and phillie are good but not multi time champion like giants and giants shood ez get harper to see reeson
Eta34
Weird. I believe LA has 6 World Series wins. That is multiple. Also, have you been to the Tenderloin district of SF? Homeless people shooting up, leaving needles everywhere, and defecating on city sidewalks.
I’m not a Dodger fan. Just stating facts.
Numbr1bballfan
evry city have lots of good place and bad place. and i meen that they dont have multi titles like giants do so close to now those titles were loooong time away
kodiak920
Your English is horrible and so is your mastery of facts.
Iron Mike
im reading your comments as if a caveman were saying then in my head. Me make fire!Me hunt food! me like giants!
Eta34
You really have a poor grasp on reality. Please stop commenting. You are embarrassing yourself.
Uncle Charlie
What’s your point? Were you even alive when LA won a world series? Have you been to Compton? Watts? South Central? Have you ever tried to get from LA to Anaheim in under 4 hours? Do you enjoy chewing the air?
The New york/SF Giants won 8 World Series. The Brooklyn/LA Dodgers 6. But who’s counting?
rerogers
What? Spelling is your friend when making a point online. And know your history. San Fran didn’t name the team, New York named the team. That doesn’t make a relevant argument.
Pete'sView
Eta34 – Sure, go ahead and pick the worst part of any city. SF has eight WS wins, three in the last decade. Your facts, aren’t.
ric7744
Because the Giants will be back in the WS faster than the Phillies or dodgers. Reason is they have more money than they can spend, they are used to winning and will do what it takes to get back on top. Plus LA is a good place to live as is Sf but if La isn’t offering the money, Sf is the easy choice. Who would want to spend their time in Philly unless you have family there?
Koamalu
1988.
Boogaloo
He will be begging to leave.
The Giants have way too many old, overpaid players and a depleted farm system.
Are they really going to pay 60 million a year for bum and harper?
Hard to win like that unless you have alot of cheap, young talent. And they don’t.
Im actually hoping he goes to SF, just don’t think the time is right for the franchise.
They should be rebuilding, not adding a final piece.
5150 Giants
Dodgers show 20 appearances and 6 wins. Last title 1988.
Giants show 23 appearances and 8 wins. Last title 2014.
And yes, San Francisco has bad neighborhoods just like every other major city in the world not just the USA..
Eta34
Please point out what I said that wasn’t factual. LA has multiple titles. As for the SF vs LA debate…they are both cesspools. I’m glad I don’t live in either city.
DodgerBlueSince82
I laughed so hard when I read this because it was exactly what I was thinking. It really was painful to read
slowcurve
Don’t feed the troll, bruh
mfm420
that’s good, i’m sure both cities wouldn’t want a dumpster fire like you sullying up the place anyways
jmcossio87
lol. i was reading in Tarzan voice.
BondsAway
Who cares that they won years ago? First all, they’re are many teams that haven’t won WS in decades. Second, SF has won 33% of WS in last 9 years. You act like they won back in the 1960s. The reason one “would care” that a team has won multiple WS is because I’m sure Bryce would rather play with guys than have won chips, rather than guys thats want to win chips. Big difference between regular season studs & proven champions. Kershaw is perfect example. And lastly, I’m sure if a B. Harp team makes the WS he would rather have MadBum on his team, rather than A. Nola
Zerbs63
Yes you can be traded with a no trade clause happens all the time, the player can just waive it
Cubguy13
LOL!
Pab
Lol. You must be looking at the wiki page of l.a. presumption past. Anyone who live in Anaheim or l.a. knows it’s take 35 minutes to get there u less it’s rush hour. And even that it’s not that bad. Second. All those cities you ment8on have been gentrified the hell out, but I’m still not sure what your reference to them is. I can only assume you think they’re bad places to live. It’s Bryce Harper… Who cares who’s gonna get him. They’ll pay for it eventually when he doesn’t produce. It’s just all for marketing and the team will make their money back. SF has an aging club and don’t have the potential as some teams do. Dodger have been in the win now Dept for the last couple years and it’s seems to be closing. I think the atmosphere of l.a. would be good for someone like Harper but I think he’d play better in SF. I just Wana hear the boos when he goes into the opposing stadium.
Willy Mays
Hey Eta list of highest crime cities in the country. I always see people knock NYC SF and LA. #27 Miami # 25 Chicago#24 Philadelphia # 22 Pittsburgh # 19 Atlanta #17 Oakland #14 Cincinnati #12 Kansas City #11 Washington DC # 10 Milwaukee # 3 Detroit #2 Baltimore #1 St Louis. These are all baseball towns, If you notice NYC SF and LA were not on the list. Perhaps your city/town is more of a cesspool then any of these 3 cities
dalejr
Where did you learn to speak?
Ohhoitsjimbo
I’m reading this in the voice Kevin from the office used when he didn’t want to waste time using big words
KCJ
@DaleJr
Apparently he learned how to speak in the San Francisco school system!
Yelsnit
Huh?
trout27
This guy is either Tonto’s grandson or he writes for The Onion!
number1dodger
Somebody needs to show you how to write. Because none of that makes any sense what you typed.
citizen
word on the street it will be a 10 year deal – 2021-24, 2027-30, 2031-32, when the giants are actually competitive.
Bill walsh
When taxes from the new socialists are 70% on income over 10 million will no one care because 21 million is really 13 million.
Socialism is so cool.
It gets everyone.
mfm420
yep, because in our current system, not a single republican voter is homeless, starving, living paycheck to paycheck, and/or getting benefits from socialist programs like welfare, food stamps, tanf, medicaid/medicare, and social security, right?
Pab
Lol. You’re not the wrong side of history. I bet you still call people commie. When you retire. I’m sure you won’t cash that social security check.
Bunselpower
Whether or not he does has no bearing on the morality of stealing money from people to give to others. And what does “wrong side of history” mean? I’d like to be on the side that didn’t murder 110 million of its people in 88 years.
KCJ
@Bill Walsh
Dude, are you for real? Please send me a text when this happens
Nobby
Well, that’s not happening.
T_Rexx2
Ugh just let it be over. I wanna know.
TheMick
As a Phillies fan I want it to be over so they can then pursue Keuchel & Kimbrel. The offense and defense have been much improved with McCutchen, Realmuto, Segura and Hoskins returning to 1B. Robertson was a good pickup, but bullpens need to be deeper than ever with not a single ML starter averaging 7 IP per start. Nola’s a legit #1 & Arrieta is now a 3. Keuchel would give them a solid 1-3 with multiple young starters competing for the 4th & 5th slots. They also wouldn’t be on the hook for 10 years giving them more salary flexibility in the near future.
fba0017
As a Sox I say good luck to you on an overpay on Kimbrel. Phillies would regret that one. You have a decent bullpen already and just blowing your money on Kimbrel because you miss out on Harper would be crazy. You will kick yourself for years to come.
TheMick
I don’t want Kimbrel as a consolation prize. Other than Robertson the Phils bullpen isn’t that strong. Much of their success hinges on 2nd year RP Seranthony Dominguez. I think he has a live arm and might be very good, but after his first 12 appearances where he didn’t give up any runs he pitched to a 3.95 ERA in his final 41 appearances. A deep bullpen is a must in today’s game. Look at the Yankees and Brewers as two examples of quality,, deep bullpens. On top of that the Phils did nothing to improve their starting pitching. Even with Harper they’re not going to slug their way to the WS.
Mrivers
Harper would succeed in Philly but is still an overpay. Average defender, good but not great hitter. The park works for him, though.
PhillyDog
Agreed. Your analysis seems spot on. Keichel and Kimbrel would give them more of a boost than Harper. Cheaper too.
brewsingblue82
Shorter in length of contract, sure, but signing both of them would likely cost between 35-45 mil a year for however many years they sign for. So only cheaper in the long run.
VonPurpleHayes
TheMick, the Phillies outfield bats are awful. I’d be happy if Williams/Atherr hit over .200. Herrera and Quinn are already injured. We need outfield help badly. I agree that Harper is not the answer any more. Now that SF and LA are supposedly willing to go longterm, I’d rather the Phillies walkway and look elsewhere, but they definitely need an upgrade in terms of outfield bats.
TheMick
I would think about $35 mil per year for both. With Harper the last offer I heard (of course we don’t know if what I read is true) was10/330. We’ll see when they sign, but I’d bet dollars to donuts they don’t get $45 mil combined.
TheMick
I don’t disagree about the OF. It’s been a good off season for position players so I’d like to add pitching now (there’s no FA impact bats out there now). Hopefully Herrera is closer to his first three seasons than last year and they can find help at the deadline. It’s just an opinion.
VonPurpleHayes
I agree. It seems to be the best road now, but the Phillies seem very lukewarm on Keuchel.
Pab
Honestly I don’t even see Philly contending…
VonPurpleHayes
They’ll compete for sure. They competed for much of the year last year, and now they’re vastly improved.
caseym
Harper should just sign with the Giants and finish this long overdrawn out charade.
johnrealtime
I’m not a fan of either team but as a baseball fan it just seems more exciting to have him sign with the Phillies. I think he could do a lot to help that team.
While you never know with the Giants (or the Padres with that farm system), I’d hate to see the top two free agents sign with teams that are likely going to end up as non contenders for the next year or two
Balk
Why, that’s how you build a team. You sign players to build around. No matter where he signs is good for baseball
dugdog83
So machado to the Padres was great for baseball? A crap team in a division owned by a team that’s not going anywhere.
Farm system farm system blah blah blah 20% of top 100 prospects every work out so statically only 2 of Padres prospects will turn into every day players. They will still stink with Manny.
Signing mega deals on crap teams hurts all sports.
Balk
Are you serious?! How the hell donteams get better then genius? Just wait around? Stupid comment
WarrenSpahn
Parity is good for baseball and much needed now. The Padres are now a much better team.
johnrealtime
Yeah I disagree. Spreading good players to more teams and markets is good for baseball.
My comment was just about my own preference and excitement and had nothing to do with what is best for baseball
johnrealtime
But yeah I should have expected the downvotes on my original post. It is a bit of a lame move to comment on a post about a team meeting with a player and essentially say it would be more exciting if the player actually signed elsewhere. I’m sure Giants fan don’t want to see that
Swinging Friars
Ryan found another new handle
Balk
I’m a giants fan and don’t really care if we land Harper or not. I personally don’t think it’s a good idea to sign him long term. A lot of risk
Swinging Friars
you sir have found redemption in realtime
Rounders
Agree.
herecomethephillies2018
And Balk shows why he’s commenting on a free forum instead of running a professional baseball team.
You don’t BUILD a team by signing expensive free agents then building around them. You build a core, then supplement that core by signing free agents. You got it backwards. If you can show me one franchise that has successfully done it your way I’ll eat my hat.
wkkortas
20% ? Your Honor, assumes facts not in evidence.
Robertowannabe
So, @dugdog83, Mega deals only should be signed with a select team or two? I am guessing one of those few teams happens to be one of your favorites and you want all the best players to end up on your team.
sbtoby
???
hiflew
Why does everyone think Machado is going to make the Padres better? He didn’t make the Orioles better last year and the Padres without him weren’t much better than the Orioles. They might get to 75 wins this year.
jbigz12
I’m not sure how you would really correctly quantify how many top 100 prospects work out. Given that there’s multiple variations of these lists by different evaluators. Not to mention these lists are updated multiple times throughout the season. Let alone year to year. Then you have to find a baseline for success. What is the baseline? And on top of all that Outside Top 100 lists don’t mean much to actual organizations anyway as they have their own grades on guys.
All in all putting an actual percentage on what guys on a top 100 list “hit” seems to be an exercise in futility to me.
zachgwest
Yes, also Padres all ready have two mediocre players in Myers and Hosmer paying top dollar. That team just doesn’t seem to get it.
MafiaBass
If you compare both squads without Machado, the Padres have a demonstrably better lineup. The O’s are complete trash. They sunk themselves by bidding against themselves for Chris Davis.
MafiaBass
That said, this is all contingent on whether or not Manny improves his image by not being a dirty player. Personally, I’ll never forgive him for sliding into Pedey.
Irishchuck
Let me remind you that the SF Giants won 3 World Championships in 2010,,2012, 2014.
So if this is a crappy division, what does this make every other team in baseball? a crappier team.?
Free agency has been around for some time with the first that I can remember being Andy Messersmith of the Dodgers going to Atlanta for a million dollars. Imagine that making that kind of money back in 1974 only to have others follow in his footsteps.
I’m not a Padres fan but do know they are one baseball’s elite farm systems that are now putting their players on the field with that expensive player or two, Eric Hosmer comes to mind. So bringing Machado on board is good for our “crappy division”, and it is good for baseball which brings fans to the park to watch that former “crappy team”
My guess is that you’re either a Dodger fan, or a Philly fan. In either case I will let you get back to your milk and watch the Padres rise right before our eyes
KCJ
Dugdog83
This is what padded rooms are for
hiflew
That’s why I said 75 wins instead of 65. I do think they are better than the Orioles, but then again they aren’t really competing with the Orioles.
El Kabong
The Padres have the better lineup. The Giants have the better pitching. However, the Dodgers have a far-better lineup and pitching than either. Padres at least two years away from contending. With the Giants, it will take a bit longer.
Boogaloo
Yeah, it’s great for baseball that people hardly get to see it’s best player play. Trout needs to be somewhere else
WarrenSpahn
How does any fan not want their team to have Bryce Harper on it? btw, it’s not your money. I think we have established that….
jbigz12
If it limits your teams potential to add other players in the future then I can see why you wouldn’t want him for 10 years. The smaller the market the less I’d want Bryce Harper.
Swinging Friars
10 year commitment pretty much guarantees that Harper is on the next winning team for whatever organization he chooses
Dodgers now and forever
Padres 2020 and the next 6 years
Giants — Did anyone see those last 3 championships coming?? They will find a way to win
Phillies look good too, can’t imagine that he would not choose them for any other reason than a west coast team gave him what he wanted
Koamalu
5 WAR is better than the negative WAR that Ty France was projected to produce. They will be better. They were already at 77.5 wins in Las Vegas. This puts them at 81.5 wins as of today. That is better.
El Kabong
The Padres won’t have the pitching by 2020. Every kid is not going to be a stud out of the gate. Of their top eight pitching prospects, most won’t be studs at all.
trout27
Get the MLB package then you can watch all 162 Angels games.
Pab
More wins than the previous year seems better to me…
But overall, he not turning them into a contender. They have always 2 years to see how prospects and the players they have can somehow improve but there are other teams that look better than SD
jbigz12
There’s obviously teams that look better than SD because you haven’t seen any of their impact prospects yet. There were teams that looked better than the 2014 Houston Astros as well.
hetzel01
I think it’s pretty obvious he wants to go West Coast….his wife does! Boras is in it for the highest bidder. The client is not always interested in this. I’ll be shocked if he goes to Philly just because of the weather. LA makes way too much sense for him and his family. Boras just can’t get LA to go 10 years. Can you imagine the amount of BS he’s spewing to Dodger execs trying to get them convinced!
RunDMC
Sorry, it’s not more exciting if PHI gets him. From a Braves fan, I love to see PHI throwing everything at him – and Harper use it to get what he wants from any other club not in Philly. Only thing that would have made this soap opera better is if PHI signed Harper’s BFF & bro-in-law.
petfoodfella
I think Atlanta signing Harper would make it better 🙂
Imagine the headlines if that were to happen.
VonPurpleHayes
I don’t see the Phillies throw everything at him. I think Boras is trying to drain the Phillies’ wallet, but the Phillies aren’t biting.
PCOLA SOX FAN
Why would anybody want to live in Pennsylvania let alone Philadelphia! Yuck
kodiak920
There are a lot of beautiful areas in Pennsylvania.
kodiak920
A lot of important history In Pennsylvania, as well.
Numbr1bballfan
if harper want succes he bettor joyn giants. he wood have grate team grate lineup would protect him and allstar pitching staff. he wont ever get nother chance to make dreams come true like this. joyn giants now
lanceparrishporvida
Wally Joyn the Giants
Polymath
Your comment grates on me.
canocorn
Like the Ralph Cifaretto character from The Sopranos?
Pete'sView
Make MLB grate again, teach hitters how to bunt and go the other way. Put the ball in play instead of swinging for the seats each AB.
Alboogie95
B-Twice
Thys coment wood be bettor if it mayd ne senz.
whoduepue
Lerne to spell.
jwardrip99
Thiz wuz herd 2 reed. Ur a balloon.
bluemarc
the giants stink there pitching staff stinks why would he go there they stink.
Alfred E Neuman
The Giants stink where?
nymetsking
Over there. Not that great here either.
Swinging Friars
The poop on the streets of downtown stinks!
wkkortas
“There. There wolf.”
PeterB1962
It’s not the best but certainly not the worse. Now their offense it a totally different story
gmenfan
Pass me some of that.
herecomethephillies2018
You left out the grate cheese he’ll have too.
ryanf1
Ooh he card reads good.
Black Ace57
I felt like I was having a stroke reading this comment.
PeterB1962
I know I’m a big Giants fan but that’s putting in on a BIT THICK LOL
stymeedone
I blame the school system.
Jesus Christ 2.Oh
The California school system to be more exact
DHerrmann67
He might want to grate cheese.
That would be great
VonPurpleHayes
The Giants are the least likely of his 3 suitors to see a World Series. At least right at this moment.
Bill Skiles
You great on me. 🙂
DHerrmann67
As a Reds fan I say hell to the no! Not San Fran!
lowtalker1
Yawn. Boras be like I will get that record contract and we will now beat Nolan’s new deal. Harper be like let’s do this.
Offering coming in are comparable to Mannys contract. Long or short term or less than
outinleftfield
They were going to beat Arenado’s deal anyway.
AtlSoxFan
My guess is the OP meant beat the AAV, not so much the years/dollars
Syndergaarden Cop
Enough of this overrated prima donna. He’s supposedly going to the Dodgers anyway. In any case, just SIGN ALREADY.
kenleyfornia2
Is this according to Blink 182?
VTGiant
No, The Outfield
scottn59c
No, Smashmouth.
rice
No, Shaggy’s 0.69% Power
Swinging Friars
he wasn’t there..
Bone19
I thought they caught him on the counter?
canocorn
She came in through the bathroom window
Swinging Friars
it wasn’t him..
slowcurve
Harper’s player’s weekend jersey will read MR. BOOMBASTIC!
davidkaner
I think he signs by Sunday so he can start ST soon. My guess 8 million 35 million a year 280 million contract
dodgerskingsfan
with the dodgers
Balk
Doubt it will be the Dodgers. Giants will get into a bidding war with that. I believe he signs with at least 11 or even 12 years with deferrals and friendly opt outs.
petfoodfella
I think 11 years, $326m + and only 1 opt out, nothing deferred.
Balk
Mack83, could very well be that! I just don’t think the Dodgers have stated anything else beyond a short term deal. I think it’s between the Giants and Phillies at this point!
petfoodfella
+1 mystery team. My pick is the Mariners or Atlanta. I think Atlanta is the one “yet to be identified team” that’s mentioned.
JaysForDays
72 years, $400m. Lock him up til death.
AtlSoxFan
I’d like to disagree and hope not. Too much homegrown talent around and coming up to put the money into harper for the time desired.
You know 5 years is a non starter, and past that there’s better braves al ready on the team that’ll need $$$$
Balk
I don’t think it’s impossible to think Atlanta but Seattle? Nah!
Swinging Friars
Last article stated teams were told not to come if you don’t come with an offer that beats what they already had….more than 10 years
traverave
That sounds like an offer the Nationals considered, but the last 62 years are deferred at a $300m rate lol
adc6r
Give the Nats their TV revenue the Os keep trying to not pay them and they wont be deferring any contracts
Koamalu
Teams cannot state anything once he reaches FA. Its called tampering in the CBA and would be a huge penalty, probably loss of a draft pick.
A few writers have said that the Dodgers were only going short term which is entirely illogical. Why would they fly a group of people including Friedman and Roberts to Las Vegas during spring training to make an offer that Boras has already made clear is not going to be accepted? That is just stupid waste of time and money. You can be sure they didn’t do that.
scottn59c
Eh, a 10 year contract would make him 36+ at the end. That’s virtually death for a lot of guys in baseball.
live42day
Best comment I have seen Jaysfordays
VonPurpleHayes
He’s getting more than 280 for sure. Over 320 I’d say.
lavey
He doesn’t want to play for Philadelphia!!
VonPurpleHayes
lavey, this logic makes no sense to me. Harper hasn’t signed with anyone. Does that mean he doesn’t want to play for anyone? This is what Boras does. He’s just pulling the best offer possible. If all offers are close to the same thing, then he’d likely choose LA based on where he lives, but if the Phillies bid is much higher than SF and LA, he’ll happily play in Philly. It’s all about $.
CursedRangers
Agreed. As much as I don’t care for Boras, he is a master at creating soap operas. The narrative that Harper doesn’t want Philly just helps drive the price up. Boras has a giant ego and Harper seems to have a big one as well. This is all about setting records for bragging rights regarding the money.
Coast1
I think it does the opposite. If the Dodgers and Giants think Harper doesn’t want Philly then they don’t have to top the Phillies’ offer. If Harper doesn’t want 10 years $325 million from the Phillies then the Dodgers don’t need to bid close to that.
Harper might not want the Phillies but Boras has to convince the Dodgers and Giants he does unless they come up with more money.
Matt Ragusa
Every indication points to them wanting a record contract. To walk away with anything less at this point would be considered a failure. It’s about the money, don’t kid yourself.
petfoodfella
I still think there’s a part of Harper hoping that a West Coast team will outbid Philly. I do think he wants to be on the West Coast, I also think there’s substance to the “he doesn’t want to play in Philly” narrative.
Where there’s smoke there’s fire….
lavey
My comment makes sense to me. Philadelphia is offering the longest contract and for more $$. Harper wants to play out west. He is playing the west coast teams against each other and being cordial to the Phillies.
Swinging Friars
You have no idea who has offered the most money
All this is just a player hoping the team he wants to play for jumps in. And when they did he was obviously going to wait and see what happens
I can’t imagine hate or dislike for a team could keep you from signing a $300m+ contract. He’s just waiting and hoping
lavey
I do have an idea because Philadelphia has already said how much they would offer and the giants and Dodgers have said short term interest.
Swinging Friars
what you have is a dream
MasterShake
Well the article states that SF has gone to 10 years. I think the only truth is none of us know what the Dodgers are offering. It’s all speculation
2020vision
Hate for a team saw Jackie Robinson hang up his spikes than play for the Giants. So, there’s that. I wonder if SF sweetens the pot by allowing Harper’s input on who should manage the team in 2020 and beyond.
advplee
lavey, read the article sport. It says that the Giants and one other team have gone to 10 years as well as the Phillies.. Reading comprehension is good for you!
ABStract
Sure doesn’t seem like he wants to play in Philly to me
VonPurpleHayes
We have no idea what Philly offered. Everyone is assuming Philly offered the best contract. It’s now being reported that both SF and LA offered 10 years. So we have no idea. We all need to stop assuming everything.
stymeedone
Im betting he doesnt want to play in Philly. He would have signed by now and be at ST if he wanted that.
VonPurpleHayes
He didn’t sign with anyone. Does that mean he doesn’t want to play baseball? He didn’t sign with the Knicks. He must hate basketball.
canocorn
Better beer in Cali
VonPurpleHayes
That is definitely not true. Better weather for sure though.
Swinging Friars
The sunshine makes the beer taste better
Less filling too!
scottn59c
It is true. Ever had Yuengling? It’s disgusting. Can you even buy beer in PA on Sundays or are there still weird liquor laws like there were when I went across the country a decade ago?
Numbr1bballfan
harper want play for giants. giants have best team and moor champion ships than dodger or phillie. giants have super star players like madbum posey panik panda belt longo and others dont have long history succes like giants. harper want make other 2 make giants pay moor but he wants his dream of play for sf giants come true
dodgerfan
Nice bait
SFGiantsGallore
THIS IS IT! Nah, much like previous FA’s it’s just a tease and the team’s due diligence.
DTI812
Stay out west! My mets are gonna have a hard enough time.
mlb1225
Wasn’t it this past weekend when we were told we’d get a decision by Monday?
MasterShake
Well to be fair both LA and SF have seemed to jump back into it, so it’s no surprise he hasn’t made a decision yet. I still think he picks the Dodgers.
VonPurpleHayes
He’ll pick the team who offers him the most money. Simple as that.
outinleftfield
As we saw with Machado its about guaranteed, non deferred dollars.
Balk
Dodgers have only announced at this point a short term deal. Giants are circling back around which makes me think they are offering more then that. Harper wants money. That’s obvious. I think it’s Phillies or Giants that are going to be more aggressive. Dodgers don’t feel threatened by the Giants even with Harper. So I don’t think they engage past 4/6 year contract.
VonPurpleHayes
Completely agree Balk.
outinleftfield
The Dodgers have announced nothing and they can’t because its against the CBA.
Writers have speculated that they will only offer a short term deal and like they have been throughout the Machado and Harper sagas the writers are wrong.
Koamalu
Said this above, but will repeat. Teams cannot announce what they have offered. It is considered tampering in the CBA and the penalties are stiff. One or two writers have said something moronic like that, but here is the what is real.
The Dodgers have talked to Boras multiple times before they made an offer and he made clear what his client wanted. That is an agents job. The Dodgers floated ideas and he gave them an idea of where other teams were and that he would have to beat that.
The Nationals offered the only confirmed offer while Harper was still a member of the team in September at 10/300. They have said that they upped their offer in December and Lerner the younger has confirmed that the door is still open a crack, meaning if he accepts that offer that was larger than 10/300 that they would still like to have him back,
Knowing all of that, the Dodgers flew one of the owners, Friedman, Roberts, and others to Las Vegas to meet with Harper and Boras. They made an offer and that offer was over 10/300.
Those are things you can be absolutely sure of.
Swinging Friars
don’t come in here with facts & reason!
nymetsking
They didn’t say WHICH Monday.
chri
Bryce, I don’t blame you for wanting every last penny you can get, but just sign already for F___s sake
Syndergaarden Cop
He’s supposedly signing with the Dodgers and taking less overall, but with a higher AAV (than what he was getting with the Phillies) because his wife doesn’t like Philly, which is a dump.
Pax vobiscum
Did he tell you that personally?
Syndergaarden Cop
you must have missed the supposedly part. or too dumb to know how its definition..
Syndergaarden Cop
know its definition*
VonPurpleHayes
Hahah. Syndergaarden, what gossip column are you reading? His wife has nothing against Philly, which is a lovely city. In fact the only comments you can find of Harper dismissing any teams are the Mets and Braves fans who he calls extremely rude. (I don’t agree with Harper by the way.)
RunDMC
FWIW, Harper hasn’t dismissed any team. Yes, he said he didn’t like ATL fans but if ATL was the other team with the $300MM offer (highly unlikely), he’d consider it – as he’s considering the Phillies, though has said not to want to play there (unsure if it’s true). Harper is a smart guy – he knows it’s gamesmanship and adds to the rivalry. He’s friends with Freeman and I wouldn’t be that surprised to see him an ATL uniform if everything is even. That being said, he wants to be on the west coast.
Cat Mando
VonPurpleHayes….there are lots of rumors out there, Syndergaarden believes the one by the often wrong and debunked “MLB Insider” Twitter account. There is another rumor (I think it was by a Dodgers blog that says Harper was willing to sign with Philly twice but his wife talked him out of it. Another says he has a huge fight with Boras about 10 days ago. Yet’ another says Harper doesn’t want to play for Kapler because of his personality and use of analytics. The funny part about that is the same rumor say he like the Dodgers who use analytics as much, if not more, than anyone.
Get Tased at CBP
Von Hayes, Don’t feed that troll from Flushing.
hkhund07
He’s also friends with Rhys Hoskins and JT Realmuto… but I’m not sure if friendships will drive his choice. If all things are even financially he choses the Dodgers.. Giants are years away from relevance and that ballpark will reduce his career statistics.. Maybe he doesn’t relish the idea of facing the Nationals in DC so many times every year (9 games?) .. you know he will get booed there.. so that could motivate him also to stay out West.
VonPurpleHayes
I completely agree.
antibelt
Been to both, and New York a way bigger dump than Philly.
AllRiseForTheJudge
I’ve lived my entire life in NYC. We are certainly not a dump, and Philly is my second-favorite city in the US
AndyMeyer
Philly is a dump. Anything else of intelligence to say?
jekporkins
They live in Las Vegas… Philadelphia is an upgrade over that cesspool.
AllRiseForTheJudge
I’m from NYC but Philly is a beautiful place. It isn’t a big enough spotlight for Harper, though, who wants to be someplace where he can bask in the glow of other superstars and celebs from every industry.
So, New York or LA, and the Yankees aren’t interested so it’ll probably be the Dodgers.
larry48
Keep the wife happy Bryce as much as you can!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sign with Dodgers and play for champion ship almost every year..
petfoodfella
You won’t win one, but you can play for one! lol
Syndergaarden Cop
Dodgers are trash. All the payroll, none of the results.
MasterShake
At first I was wondering what would compel these two to really care about what the other is doing since LA has been the better team, and still looks to be for the foreseeable future. Aside from the rivalry etc. then I checked and I can kind of see it now, even though LA has been better they are just 29-28 against SF over the last 3 seasons. I get that they were already in on the guy, but maybe seeing SF in on him, makes them want him more.
outinleftfield
All of the teams still in on Harper have made offers over $300 million. 5 teams when you include the Nationals.
arc89
How many 10 year deals have ever worked out? I can’t think of any. Harper will not sign under a 10 year deal. Giants have already regretted signing shark and Cuertto. This will be anothe rbad contract to handicap their team for a long time.
outinleftfield
How many free agent deals with 26 year old players have not worked out?
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
How many 10 year contracts have there been?
Machado — time will tell
Pujols — horrible and even worse than horrible
ARod #1 — worked out amazing as far as player performance
Arod #2 — not as bad as the Pujols deal, but still bad
Cano — up in the air
Stanton — up in the air
Wayne Garland — a bust
Richie Zisk — a bust
Dave Winfield — not a bust, though Steinbrenner tried to make it seem so – I would call this one fair (his only world series win came after this deal)
Jeter — his contract was a good investment for both parties
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Can I ask why someone downvoted the mostly factual reply above? Is there a critique or is there a surly grudge-holding hobgobblin lurking around? I took time and listed the ten year contracts. Sheesh.
arc89
they down voted me for asking the question. Stanton i would call a bust since marlins is paying for it without him. I didn’t know Jeter had a 10 year deal. Arod was a bust since he under performed and Texas paid part of it. Cano has been injured and M’s are paying part of it so it was a bust too.
its_happening
I wouldn’t worry about it Tipsy. People do it because they can. Good assessment of the 10-year contract. I’ll upvote that.
Charles Russell
It can happen by accident, it can happen because someone is simply devious, it could happen because someone is a clodhopper, it could happen if a cat jumps on the keyboard.
People with a brain know there was nothing wrong with what you put down, stop worrying about it.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Arc — I was just looking at it from a player performance perspective. But, yeah if we want to bring in all the nuance then even the Arod contract #1 is suspect because his time with the rangers did not bump attendance too much higher, netted no major playoff victories, and, according to some (though I disagree with the assessment), helped sink the Ranger’s owner and the team into major financial woes. On the other hand, I think Winfield is a win because he did help keep Yankee attendance somewhat steady, even if he faded that last couple years of that contract.
There is a nine-year contract out there as well — Prince Fielder. One can insert joke here, but insurance did help bail that out, making it not as egregious as it could have been.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Charles — It was a trick by me. I downvoted myself and complained about it to lure you out of the ether.
Swinging Friars
and you are a bust
See, pretty easy exercise here
outinleftfield
Arod. The 1st deal. It worked out. It was the only 10 year deal with a 26 year old player.
Koamalu
Pujols was 31 when he signed that deal. AROD #2 was also in his 30s. Stanton started with his age 27 season and was an extension. Cano was in his age 31 season. Winfield at age 29. Jeter at 27 and it was a good deal.
kodiak920
Really well done.
Grizalt
Well considering the facts that Harper will likely want an opt-out and opt-outs are pure downside for the team, no the Harper contract will not work out.
Jean Matrac
“How many 10 year deals have ever worked out?”
No team expects a 10-year deal to return value for all 10 years. Any team would be ecstatic to get value over 7 to 8 years. The extra years are the price of landing a FA with a competitive field trying to land the guy. Besides, most bad contracts do not prevent a team from winning. The Cubs won with Heyward. The Giants won with Zito. And if J.D. Martinez stinks for the next 4 seasons, and doesn’t opt out, they still would not regret that signing since it helped bring them a title.
BlueSkyLA
This line of reasoning will never sell to the wannabe team CFOs. They are more about counting team beans than team victories.
nonadhominem
” The Cubs won with Heyward. The Giants won with Zito.”
I would posit that they did not win “with” them as much as they won “in spite” of them.
BlueSkyLA
This is of course a classic distinction without a difference.
Chrysostom
Would love to see a Machado/Harper/Arenado led NL west for the next ten years. Send the Dodgers back into obscurity!
baseballhobo
Bryce should just remain a free agent forever.
SFGiantsGallore
Like the guy who sit on the sidelines telling everyone what he could have been lol
canocorn
I got to be free
Free as the wind
Free is the way
I got to be
Free is when you don’t have to pay for nothing or do nothing …
WE WANT TO BE FREE
FREE AS THE WIND
— FZ
Dan Bacon
I gotta believe one of these California teams is going to change from short term deals to a longevity contract. The market must be opening up to that potential at least to make this this 2nd meeting interesting…
VTGiant
He’s either going to be a Giant or a Bum
nymetsking
He’s a bum either way.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Which will come first? UFO disclosure or the Harper signing disclosure?
VonPurpleHayes
While the Dodgers appear to be the current favorite, I think the Giants can offer more money and years. So it may be down to the Giants vs Phillies. Despite all the rumors, I think Harper would happily play for any of these teams. It’s going to come down to the best offer. This is Boras being Boras.
petfoodfella
I’m not sure how you can think Dodgers are the favorites. They’re not stepping up with a 10 year (or more) offer.
VonPurpleHayes
I meant according to the current Vegas betting odds. I don’t think he goes to the Dodgers at all. I agree with you.
Matt Ragusa
Those change all the time based on who met with him last.
VonPurpleHayes
Well it’s actually based off on what people are betting, but you’re not wrong.
antsmith7
So tired of this.
Trip 2
Watch the Angels be the mystery team! Wouldn’t put it past Arte. LOL
chalk73
Yep, and he becomes Pujols 2.0 in a couple of years.
outinleftfield
Pujols was 31 when he signed. Harper will never be what Pujols was guaranteed to be at the end of his deal.
Swinging Friars
Pujols was signed for his past greatness and his future marketing $$$
The only ones upset with that deal are the commenters in here. Arte is still laughing and counting his money
Harper will be signed for future performance. There is a big difference between the two. However, you may still be right about how we view the outcome… The Angels brand will benefit for sure, but will the onfield product be that much better?
outinleftfield
Harper will be signed because from a past performance, future performance and marketing the team thinks it’s worth the money.
chalk73
The difference is Pujols was coming off an MVP season and Harper’s last season wasn’t all that impressive. Pujols fell off the cliff shortly after signing and if Harper falls off the cliff, it isn’t that far of a fall. 5.4 WAR vs 1.3 WAR.
Koamalu
I know several people have already pointed out the obvious, but since you are repeating the info about Pujols I will too. A players prime is 26-30 years old. Pujols was past his prime when he was signed. He was expected to decline. Harper is going into his age 26 season. In the next 5 years he will most likely have a season or two that are better than any he has ever had. He has 2 seasons with an OPS over 1.000 and one of them was an MVP season. Harper will get better over the first 5 years of his deal. Pujos was almost guaranteed to decline immediately after being signed.
SFGiantsGallore
Lol thank you for this. I had a good laugh out loud moment.
Jrad13
So if phils miss out on both Machado and harper… What’s that say more globally about Philly as a destination? Anything.. Cause surely they piled up the cash in front of them so… Hmmmm… Seems like a hitters park and then some, seems likeable group so it’s it the fans? City? Management? Division seems wide open too… Interesting..
Pax vobiscum
Never affected Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee.
hkhund07
or Jim Thome.
kiddhoff
RF is an easier target than the pitchers mouund from the bleachers when batteries are being thrown.
VonPurpleHayes
Jrad13, the Phillies got a bunch of stars this offseason. So it says nothing about their destination.
Despite the “stupid money” comment the Phillies weren’t willing to spend big on Machado. It remains to be seen if they’re willing to spend big on Harper.
And Harper is from Vegas. All things being equal, he’d likely want to play closer to his home. This isn’t a knock on Philly at all. I don’t understand your logic.
Swinging Friars
It will be ok. When Trout says he prefers the east coast balance will be restored
hkhund07
please Trout DO NOT extend with Angels before FA..
hkhund07
the Phila area is actually a very desirable place to live,, it has a lower cost of living than NYC or DC… close to mountains and beaches.. great restaurants and history… quite a few players who played on our major sports teams have maintained a residence here (e.g. Cole Hamels) even after they left the team or retired… It’s an electric place to play especially when the teams are winning.. Fans are knowledgeable and engaged in all the sports here.. Some players don’t want to be held accountable to performing well though.. some just want to collect the money and run.
Grizalt
Phillies need to knock $5m off their offer for every day he doesn’t sign
outinleftfield
That would guarantee he doesn’t sign there. Not a smart way to do business.
Grizalt
Would also send a message to Boras that there are consequences for trying to make teams bid against themselves. He only keeps doing this as long as it remains a no-lose proposition.
Koamalu
What it would do is make every agent in the game shy away from the Phillies. They might pull their offer completely at some point if they spend money elsewhere, but there is no way they start taking money off the table a little at a time. Goodwill and trust is everything in relationships between agents and teams and Boras obviously has good relationships with teams because his clients get signed and get signed for big deals.
Grizalt
Scott Boras is one to talk about goodwill and trust while he’s constantly floating fake contract offers in an attempt to get teams to bid against themselves and filing baseless, malicious grievances like the one with Carter Stewart a few months ago.
BaseballisLife
If you can’t be trusted, players and teams just don’t deal with you. Boras has the most clients and teams are signing his clients.
hkhund07
the Phillies should have low-balled him offering 6 years, $180 Million.. opt out after 4 for both Harper and for team also.. Then i would tell Boras – if you get something better than that let me know. I don’t think any of the remaining teams would even approach a 10 year offer >$300 Mil. if the Phillies hadn’t.
Also MLB needs to implement an FA Deadline of Jan. 31.. NO FA signings after that unless the player did not play the previous year.. Stop this nonsense of waiting til Spring training. Some clubs simply sit on the sideline until the very last minute..
neoncactus
That’s not good for the players. Then you have players who know they have to sign by a certain date and clubs will have leverage over them.
suddendepth
That’s only going to be a possibility when the players and owners agree to get rid of qualifying offer penalties. There are still punitive draft implications to signing Bryce and Keuchel that matter to certain teams.
slowcurve
These GMs are out here faking interest in Harper to get a company paid trip to Vegas and I don’t blame them!
BrewersMVP08
Robert Kraft: “i’m interested bryce, let’s say we go out and talk about it? I know a great massage place”
petfoodfella
Do you really think the people in these tax brackets need an excuse to go to Vegas? No.
slowcurve
#1. It was a joke.
#2. People in “these” tax brackets are exactly the types that take trips on the company dime.
#3. GO BRAVES.
jekporkins
Lighten up, Francis.
BrewersMVP08
who cares about harper. have you ever had doritos on a peanut butter jelly? ohhhh that’s good.
gmenfan
Plain Lays or Ruffles are a winner on PB&J’s as well.
BrewCrew1302
same with like a turkey or ham!
slowcurve
PBJ with Ruffles and a Crystal Light. Delicious AND nutritious. -Dane Cook
Swinging Friars
The others are fine…. But doritos for the win!
bucketbrew35
If he spurns Philly he will be more hated in this city than TO after all of this nonsense.
VonPurpleHayes
That’s ridiculous. He’s not spurning Philly. He’s taking the best offer available. I’m a Philly fan. If he doesn’t come to the Phillies, who cares? I’ll probably hate the guy less for not being with an NL East rival.
jbird669
What?! A sensible Philly sports fan? You guys aren’t supposed to exist!!
bucketbrew35
“What?! A sensible Philly sports fan? You guys aren’t supposed to exist!!”
Plenty of us exist. We just have a low tolerance for bullsh*t.
jbird669
I live in the Philly market, and no, there are NOT a lot of you. I concur that some of you don’t have tolerance for BS, but that doesn’t make the majority of fans sensible.
bucketbrew35
“That’s ridiculous. He’s not spurning Philly. He’s taking the best offer available. I’m a Philly fan. If he doesn’t come to the Phillies, who cares? I’ll probably hate the guy less for not being with an NL East rival.”
Is it though? If he takes less money to play for a West Coast team how do you think the fan base will and should view it? This has been a tug-o-war for months. People are losing patience. There is only so much prima donna behavior anyone can take. Be realistic.
VonPurpleHayes
1. I highly doubt he’ll take less money to play anywhere.
2. If he does take less money to play closer to his home, who cares? He’s a West Coast guy. It’s not about hating the city of Philadelphia. It’s about being closer to home.
3. At this point, there are multiple sources claiming the Phillies believe they’re not getting Harper at all. It’s time to move on. We don’t have to wish Harper well, but I don’t see him as public enemy number one. I’m happy he’s not playing for a division rival.
Jean Matrac
“If he takes less money to play for a West Coast team how do you think the fan base will and should view it?”
And how would they view it if Mike Trout took less money to play in Philly because it’s closer to home? Even if Harper takes less to play on the West Coast doesn’t mean he’s spurning Philly. It means he wants to play closer to home.
Rukidding
Damn straight; especially on the BS saturation. Six decades of unwavering support for the Phils (which included many painful years) comes to a screeching end if they sign this waste of human protoplasm. Even if his skills were worth the ridiculous price tag (not!), the destructive karma this guy would bring to the clubhouse would be tantamount to a cancer. Only trips I could see to CBP this year if he’s in red pinstripes would be to buy a seat behind him and STRONGLY “encourage” him to exercise his opt-out. He may not want Philly? Maybe Philly doesn’t want him or his arrogant narcissism.
VonPurpleHayes
I still don’t see any of the destructive clubhouse karma you’ve been talking about. He’s not a bad clubhouse guy.
But it doesn’t matter. At this point, the Phillies are not getting him. He’s moving on.
bucketbrew35
“It’s not about hating the city of Philadelphia. It’s about being closer to home.”
Except the fact that Philly being “nowhere near his first choice” is mentioned in the media daily with the spin that makes it seem like he’s ‘too goo’ for the city.. People are going to take it personal. He is going to come off as a prima donna. This free agent class has been hyped in this town for years, its not just a flavor of the week. Personally, I’m over it. I’m fine if they pivot. The team as currently constructed is deep. But there’s going to be a lot of resentment. from the fan base though. It’s inevitable.
LosAngelesAngelesAngelesAngels
He should just take this season off. Return in 2020.
VonPurpleHayes
That would actually be the greatest thing ever. The Phillies, Giants and Dodgers should get together and just pull their bids. Have Harper sit out.
RIPprosports
I don’t see the Giants making a long term contract to Harper, and makes no sense for a short term contract. I would say it’s between Dodgers and Philly’s. Giants are just being a nuisance. If you’re going to be last place in the NL West, might as well entertain the fan base a little.
VonPurpleHayes
I’m curious why you think the Dodgers are more likely to give a longer term deal. The Dodgers don’t need Harper like at all. And the Dodgers competitive window is right now. They’re likely going to win the division with our without Harper. They need some pitching help and any mega deals will push them over the tax threshold. I don’t see long term deals making much sense for the Dodgers, other than them being a huge market who likes to spend money.
The Giants can use Harper as the centerpiece to their rebuild. The Phillies rebuild is almost finished. They can compete right now and have a very young team. They have a lot of room to spend without going over the luxury tax. So longer deals make sense for these teams.
rgreen
Harper,Bellinger,& Seager…They might not need him,but those 3 together could be a strong foundation to build a lineup around.
The Dodgers always made sense,them waiting all offseason to get involved is what doesn’t.But they could’ve had their eyes set on Arenado.
Swinging Friars
They kept quiet because their interest was real
RIPprosports
@vonpurple
I’m curios where I said anything about the Dodgers signing Harper to a long term deal?
I never thought the Dodgers were signing Harper until recent events.
1 Toles gone for who knows why and how long
2 Kershaws shoulder acting up
3 Arenado extension
I was totally on board about them not exceeding the threshold, but things have changed and they need a big bat in the line up. There’s a ton of money coming off the books next year.
VonPurpleHayes
Apologies. Misread your comment.
I don’t see Harper signing a short term, but I can see him going 6 or 7 to play in LA.
At this point, everything I’m reading pretty much states the Phillies are out of it. So I think it’s between the Giants and Dodgers.
Swinging Friars
If you’re willing to go 6 or 7, might as well pony up for the extra 3 or 4
RIPprosports
All good
Yeah 6 is doable. They won’t sign him for 10 plus, nor does it make sense for any NL team to. Unless NL team hopes DH will be in play down the road.
El Kabong
Toles is a 26-year-old non-prospect. He wouldn’t be a factor in any decisions involving Harper.
Swinging Friars
Get ready to be wrong
RIPprosports
@jimsouls
Yes he would , along with the rest of the reasons I gave.
Plus Dodgers FO can never have too much depth.
BlueSkyLA
You might be right but for the wrong reason. Toles has yet to report to camp for undisclosed reasons. Pretty fair chance he’s done with baseball, or baseball is done with him.
BloodySox
Phillies should pull out. He’s obviously just using them for leverage and really doesn’t want to be there
BrewersMVP08
pull out game is weak
AndyMeyer
That’s what she said!!!
Sorry….. couldn’t help it
mhdunbar99
Harper was .249 with very poor defensive metrics last year. 30% of a billion dollars not quite enough $?
imindless
Phillies fans before offseason: “we are gonna get harper and machado!”
After machado signed elsewhere: “doesnt matter we will get harper and trout!”
When harper doesnt sign there: “doesnt matter now we can make a bigger offer for trout!”
Jrad13
I suspect Trout gets traded next year before hits market, especially since angels will likely be out of it by deadline and they can get sunshine for him before his fa mkt…very real chance he ends up in Philly but be 2 yrs down road and with more miles on him etc.. So will not good to miss or on the two big names they wanted this yr.
Ryan W
As a fan of an NL west team, I hope the giants cripple themselves again with more of these “giant” contracts. They’re not even close to the core they once had and it’s certainly not in their farm system.
oaklandfan22
Nice to see someone with some sense
Tony the man
As a Giants fan I don’t care who he signs with, just let it be over already
martras
Giants “Are you willing to take 3 years and $120M?”
Boras “No. Same as last week and the week before and the week before. We have an offer from the Phillies which is far higher than that.”
Giants “Why are you meeting with us then? Palm trees?”
Boras “We think if we continue insulting the Phillies ownership and front office, they’ll suddenly have a total change in heart and believe there are other potential competitive bids.”
Giants “Oh.”
Boras “I know it hasn’t worked for weeks, but maybe this time for sure.”
kodion
Sounds like there might be a flaw in Borass’sss script …the one that was counting on stupid money, that is.
gmenfan
Curious state when we consider $300M to hit a baseball as no longer being “stupid money.”
jdolan74
With the Dodgers wallet and the Padres signing Machado and the Rockies extending Arenado, I don’t know how the Giants think they are going to compete if they DON’T sign Bryce Harper. Make it an escalating deal, $30MM for the first three seasons, then $35MM for two seasons, an opt out in 2023, and then $35MM for the back five of the deal – 10/$335MM
This would also make Arizona the Miami Marlins of the NL West
Ryan W
They still wouldn’t *with* Harper
VonPurpleHayes
Harper doesn’t magically make the Giants compete.
scottn59c
No, but he gives SF fans a reason to come to the park right now.
CalcetinesBlancos
Walk away. You’ll be glad you did.
Kennypowers999
ItGiants won’t get harper unless they pay crazy amount of money. Also the Giants can’t rebuild around Harper unless they trade Madison bumgarner and buster Posey. everyone else on the team is just garbage.
NoTradeClause
Buster posey has a no trade clause. Does anyone on here ever consider those?
Asfan0780
No one wants to spend 10 years in philly, harper dragging this out hoping giants or dodgers meet his price
AndyMeyer
Ever hear of Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins? Mike Schmidt ring a bell?
Allen Iverson? Brian Dawkins??
imindless
You forgot doctor j
AndyMeyer
The good doctor! Thanks for the help!
moethacker
Steve Carlton didn’t seem to mind being in Philly.
left field
I’m a Philly fan but I would prefer he goes to SF or LA or another West Coast team. He is going to make a boatload of money where ever he goes. More than he should ever need. Play where your heart is and enjoy your life. If he chooses Philly for the terms and dollars and ego of saying he has the biggest contract, he will regret it sooner or later (2020 at the latest). If it starts to effect his play, the Phans will be on him to where he regrets it even more.
smkelly1970
yawn.
Sells Money
As a Phillies fan my whole life this whole charade is getting old. I’d like to have him but I’m over him and Boras at this point. I’m so tired of hearing these veterans claim how the system is broken. They have no one to blame but themselves. Teams are begging to give this guy $300 million and him and his agent are trying to squeeze every cent they can. Too worried about who has the biggest contract. Go to LA or SF. Trout, Betts and Springer 2020.
So. Cal. Giants fan
Mr. Harper please sign with another team. We simply don’t need another bad contract. You’ve had a couple great years, but other than that, your statistics are mediocre at best. Giants need to push forward through this year and then let the rebuild begin when we have additional money coming off the books!
$$$$Man
Here is the hold up. Harper signs with Yankees. Yankees trade Stanton to LAD or SFG along with Andujar for a starter. Cue to? Madbum? Hyu? Just a thought. Otherwise he’s back with the Nats for 8/280.
Coast1
The Dodgers will make that deal as long as the Yankees pick up $200 million of Stanton’s contract.
petfoodfella
Plus $300m+ for Harper.
Yeah, George has been dead awhile, that isn’t happening.
AndyMeyer
Kershaw has a bad shoulder already. They can’t trade any pitching
The Ghost of Bobby Bonilla
BREAKING NEWS: The Royals have reached out to Scott Boras to possibly, potentially consider the idea of scheduling a meeting with Bryce Harper. Any signing is now on the backburner for two more weeks.
SupremeZeus
Phillies don’t seem to be budging. It appears that they currently are not bidding against themselves. Looks like final offers are coming in and this will be winding down soon. It is either a long term k with Philadelphia or short term k with LA or San Francisco. Kabuki dance continues.
Coast1
They wouldn’t budge on Happ, Corbin, or Machado and lost out on all three. They wouldn’t budge on Arrieta and ended up getting him.
Ryan W
Yeah, I think you’re right. Philly probably has the nest offer on the table but it’s not what Harper (Boras) wants, and Boras is trying to get as many teams “back in” as he can, but I don’t think they’re close to Philly’s offer
goldenmisfit
I love Phillies fans saying they are sick of us that Harper is trying to soak every last dollar out of them that’s not what it is he is looking for any reason not to sign with the Phillies. Philly fans can’t except your organization is one giant joke. As a Dodgers fan I would absolutely love to get Harper but if we don’t get him as a harper fan if it’s not to the Dodgers I would like for him to go somewhere where he has the opportunity to at least compete for a World Series on a regular basis. Don’t see that right now with the Phillies or the Giants.
AndyMeyer
Least when the Phillies made two straight World Series, they actually won one….
goldenmisfit
While I believe the Giants and Phillies are nowhere near a world title let’s be honest people the Dodgers over the last few years have had a stranglehold on the National League. They went to the World Series without arguably their best player. If I am Harper I am thinking they are going to pay me a boatload of money and their best player is now back if I go there implementing me into that lineup could make this team unstoppable.
AndyMeyer
“Stranglehold over the national league”. How many titles have they won??
And Harper makes them unstoppable? Bahahahahahahahaha
JPADA
Well they’ve won the National league title the last two years and six straight National League West titles. I’d say thats a pretty good stranglehold on the National League.
AndyMeyer
Nice little run with no titles to show for it
JPADA
Technically the NL championship is a title as is the division crown, it’s just not the WS title.
The guy who mentioned stranglehold was purely speaking of the NL so your comment about not winning the WS is just out of place and didn’t prove him wrong at all. But you weren’t trying to do that, your just trolling..
Out of the NL West teams I’d rather the Rockies with the division. I’d like to see the Dodgers in last place.
AndyMeyer
Not trying to prove anyone or anything wrong. The dodgers have had solid success. The Nationals had a stranglehold of the NL east and couldn’t get out of the divisional round
The Giants won 3 World Series titles in 5 years. Only won the division twice and didn’t make the playoffs in 2011 and 2013
leftcoaster
I think it’s fair to say Harper has no interest in stepping over human feces on his way to Oracle Park.
carneylansford80
Wonder if the Giants could do something that guaranteed 10 years but was front loaded enough and contained enough options that it really existed as a short term high AAV deal. Maybe something like 50, 50, 40, 40 for the first 4 years with an opt out after 4, and then 40, 40, 30 for the next 3 with another opt out and then 15, 15, 10 for the final 3 years. Cumulatively it would be 330 over 10 years but seemingly likely that it would really be 4 years at 180 million in practice.
gmenfan
In all likelihood, the Giants will not be competitive for thea next few years, with or without Harper. Why overpay on the front end knowing that you aren’t going to win AND know that he’ll accept the optouts since the deal is lean on the backside ? The high AAV, early opt out deal has never made sense for SF. Seems like a better “win now” strategy for LA.
carneylansford80
Good point for sure – both as it pertains to the Giants and the Dodgers. But even the approach might make sense for the Giants if they feel he can help sustain the fan interest through a rebuild.
Asfan0780
Phillies have had one .500 season in 7 years and havent made playoffs since 2011. Unless thwy really overpay harper i cant imagine him wanting to go there. Dodgers best bet if he wants to win immediatwly. Giants can sell him on their winning cultre lol, the bay area lifestyle but they are in also semi rebuild mode unless cueto and samardzija revive their careers and giants farm system is in bad shape so i doubt they’re good in the next 3 years at least. If only baby gap john fisher could use his 2 billion net worth and spend money, can you imagine harper joining a core of matt olson, matt chapman, khris davis, piscottty with a wave of young pitchers in the way, but that will never happen
rgreen
Ok Phillies,time to give David Meter a call.
1988wasalongtimeago
The Giants have so many holes. It would be a step in the right direction though.
casey
I love your username
1988wasalongtimeago
Thank you. As a Dodger fan it breaks my heart but we stick to not stealing bases.
casey
Ah, I had hoped you were a Giants fan.
Thronson5
Wow. If this happens and it sounds like it will, I will have one more reason to hate the Giants lol. Of course Friedman is gonna be cheap and let out rival steal him away. Can we get someone who’s not afraid to spend to run the team? I know some people say he isn’t worth it but I disagree, he is, not just from the baseball prospective but the business side of things, this guy would be a huge star in LA.
lefty58
Cheap? LAD have the 4th highest payroll in the baseball.
mike156
I don’t think Harper manages both 10 years and $33M AAV. He could get shorter and higher AAV, but he’s not really better than Machado, although he has a different type of made-for-TV star power. 7.5 BWAR over the last three years. Yes, it’s cherry-picking because I’m leaving out that insane 2015, but before 2015, 10WAR over three years. Which player is he? Obviously, a high ceiling. But in a 10 year deal, you are quite likely to get several so-so years,
Koamalu
You are also quite likely to get a season or two that is better than 2015 in the next 5 seasons.
Xavier Blaine
As much as I hate to say it, it looks like he’s going to SF. All he needed was the 10 year deal from a west coast team and he’d pounce on it, and it looks like he’s finally gotten that offer. Oh well, Giants are a wild-card at best anyways, and that’s only if Belt/Posey/Harper can all stay healthy and productive, as with Bumgarner/Holland/Rodriguez.
Yelsnit
LMAO! Please do it. I’m sure Harper is going to love playing for a last place team.
The Human Toilet
Hopefully Harper signs with the Giants and enjoy last place for the next few years.
Redwolves3
First of all, I truly hope the Giants sign Harper. It would definitely be a big splash for the Giants and give Zaidi credibility the fans have been waiting to see.
If Harper ends up signing with the Dodgers or Phillies, I hope the Giants and Zaidi have run the money and years up so high that it cripples the Dodgers and Phillies where they are unable to make any future significant moves.
Balk
I think they maybe discussing 10 years and I could be wrong, but no money has been thrown out there by Giants or Dodgers yet. Be surprised if the Dodgers went that route, but I’m not the Dodgers. I think Phillies are screwed to the point they have to walk away, he would prefer a long term deal closer to home, who wouldn’t.
gehrig619
Dude, get over yourself. I’m so over his ego. All the teams are getting ready for the season. You’re sitting on the couch trying to make sure someone gives you a deal that’s $301MM just so it’s the record setting deal over Manny? Well, Nolan is still getting more per season so who cares. Get outta here Bryce. ✌
petfoodfella
Oh stop sally. If it was you, you’d want to get the maximum dollars and years if possible. You’d do the same thing.
gehrig619
Okay I’ll stop. You got me. $300MM while some of his teammates will make league minimum… Shut up and play ball!
Daver520
Please let him have to “settle” for a contract that is NOT a record for $/yr
petfoodfella
3 known teams, 1 mystery team (maybe) wanting to make offers, he’s getting record $$ and record years. Prob 11 minimum, maybe 12-13.
hiflew
I hope they give him $50 million a year. Of course I say this as a Rockies fan that wants to see the Giants blow their payroll and be horrible forever.
lefty58
He may be the most hated man in baseball, but Boras played this one perfectly.
thefenwayfaithful 2
Machado to the Padres is the only reason the Giants and Dodgers hit the red panic button. The red panic button rarely works out. We will see how this one turns out. The idea that they would have been in on Harper for a short term deal anyway is realistic. Now with Machado with a rival and their other rival in on Harper, both these teams are feeling like they need to get a deal done to make sure they aren’t on the outside looking in for the next 5-6 years.
The Giants and Dodgers would be putting up 4/$180 deals still if Machado was a White Sox for example.
Swinging Friars
The only time the Dodgers or Giants worry about the Padres is in September when the Padres have a chance to play spoiler
Those payrolls are colossal! And those execs have their own game plan. Saddens me to say it….but no one cares about what the Padres are doing
Also, neither Harper or Marchado were ever considering a contract shorter than 10 years. That should be obvious by now
thefenwayfaithful 2
Strongly disagree on this one, knowing a lot about the Padres system. The Padres farm system is #1 in baseball: milb.com/milb/news/farm-system-rankings-21-and-und…
They may not have what it takes in the payroll department, but they could be the next Royals to sneak up and win a few division titles. I would agree that in 2019, the Dodgers and Giants are not worried about the Padres. But they are smart franchises and looking at 2020 and 2021 and seeing that right now, the Giants are screwed in the farm department, ranking 28th overall. Their only hope to not finish in 3rd or below from 2020 until the Padres players become expensive is to sign Bryce Harper and even that might not be enough. The Giants are too big and proud of a franchise to sit back and accept defeat for 4 or 5 more years.
The Dodgers are looking much better in the farm department, but they are trying to ensure they are not battling to game 162 in 2020-2021 with at team using half of their payroll.
I definitely agree with you on the contract length. There was no chance in hell. I’m just saying it could make some sense just to bring the big name to the market while they rebuild to keep the fans interested and buying merch.
fljay73
Phillies are more ready to win now & down the road.
Dodgers are a still strong team.
Giants?
They have a talent drop compared to the 2 teams above.
I would not be offering 10 years anyways.
8 is the max in any contract.
hkhund07
and the Giants ballpark will hurt his career hitting statistics and his chances for the Hall of Fame.
Balk
Did it hurt bonds?
hkhund07
well the steroids didn’t hurt him..
Balk
You think that Bonds needed steroids to hit the ball out of that ballpark? Did the steroids help put his bat on the ball? No that’s raw talent there bud. That dude smashed baseballs. Even for Pittsburgh. If you want to be the best, then beat the best.
Swinging Friars
Ballparks do not play that big of a role, come on people!
So many people looking for any reason, any at all!
Balk
If the Dodgers put a contract up for 10 years, I would think he would want to sign with them! Goes to show don’t believe what you read. Lol
SFGiantsGallore
Wait, WHAT?! The header on this page changed from a “meeting with Bryce Harper” to “discussing a 10 year deal”?! I don’t believe it until his name is signed on the dotted line
bad bruce
Who would have guessed Harper and Machado both going to arguably the worst two teams in the league (if Harper goes to San Fran)
thefenwayfaithful 2
Machado wasn’t weird to me. While the Padres indeed are still a year or two away, they are stocked to the brim with controllable young talent. A 10 year deal fits right into his prime and their window. It works.
Harper to San Fran would be bizarre. They don’t have a time frame in mind beyond 2019. A short term 4-5 year deal maybe makes some sense but I still wouldn’t cough up the draft pick.
bad bruce
Oh no I understand the reasoning behind Manny… They did not lose any prospects and had the cash. I can see him opting out for sure, but the move was fine. The Giants is weird to me for the same reasons you stated. We’ll see what happens
thefenwayfaithful 2
Hey as a Red Sox fan, we at least at one point had a marketing partnership with the Giants. For that sake alone, I hope they find a way to dig themselves out of this hole they’ve found themselves in. Harper would be an interesting start in that direction. Just not sure they’ve thought out the timing as well as a fan would hope.
Worst case scenario, Harper will pay his own bills while in San Fran. Merchandising and local advertising opportunities will cover a good chunk of the tab in most major markets.
david klein
Anyone but the Phillies or Nats please
thefenwayfaithful 2
I have to admit if I were a Giants fan I’d be excited about bringing Harper to town. But to be realistic, it’s an odd time. The Giants shouldn’t be forgoing draft picks right now. They should be looking for ways to stock up draft picks. They barely have a plan for 2019 let alone 2020 and beyond. I know Harper wants to be in a major market, but man with the payroll restrictions and lack of a farm to plot a future, this might be the weirdest free agent signing I’ve ever seen if he winds up in San Fran. I have to believe if the dodgers truly had a 10/305 deal even on the table Harper would already be a Dodger. He just does not want to go to Philly for some reason…
hkhund07
i think he doesn’t want to visit Nats Park 12 times a year…
thefenwayfaithful 2
Never thought of that angle but that’s possible. He loves being loved.
hkhund07
he would be Jayson Werth in reverse.
raef715
i don’t believe anything i read at this point.
this may be more Boras leaked garbage to get the Phils number up to where he can save face with Harper.
if he wants to go to SF and hit in the that park and that lineup, no need for the opt out after 3 probably though.
petfoodfella
Can you actually prove any “Boras leak” like you claim? Doubt it.
raef715
of course i cant, and didnt say i could, but almost everything written in the last 90 days on the subject can’t be proven.
thefenwayfaithful 2
What he’s clearly doing is leveraging offers. Who he’s leveraging to get where, only Boras & Harper really know. But I could see him even being able to use a 10/$305 deal from the Dodgers or Giants to push the Phillies to $325-330. I don’t think it would work as well in reverse, so the assumption that its the Phillies getting their price driven up is probably fair.
socalbum
Giants and Dodgers willing to go 10, or more, years — Phillies do not stand a chance
thefenwayfaithful 2
Unless they decide to push the financial envelope. They could easily go 12/$350 and Harper’s a Philly. It all comes down to how far Philly is willing to go. San Fran and LA are likely to hold strong once they hit around 10/$305 and only compete against each other. Philly really, really seems to want to get this done.
I’m not sure Boras or the Players’ Union would let him walk away from significantly more money to join a team of his choosing, especially following this free agent market. It would be detrimental to the entire business for him to sign for less than max value. The grievances filed would be ridiculous.
The only question is, are the Phillies willing to blow the top off this thing? If all things are equal, they have no chance.
James1955
If the rumor is true, this Ownership driven. Zaiti is a moneyball guy. Harper is a player the Giants can market. The rumors say that Harper doesn’t want to play for the Phillies and he wants a long contract. As always believe it when Harper signs the contract.
Charles Russell
The practices described in Moneyball, which came out 16 years ago, are two decades old. Nothing about it is cutting edge any more, every GM would like to sign good talent for cheap. The Giants have never been cheapskates. In fact, they’ve been the opposite. Zaiti wasn’t hired to turn them into misers.
Zaiti said there is mutual interest between the Giants and Harper. Even if it was 100% owner driven, I find it laughable to think that if owners were going to give Zaiti the ability to construct a roster with Bryce Harper, he would say no. Every single GM in the game would go after Bryce Harper if their owner insisted on it.
sufferforsnakes
He’s not going to Philly.
advplee
I REALLY hope he signs with SF or LA. As a Braves fan,I want to laugh at all the crying that Phillies fans will do in response!
petfoodfella
haha. As a Braves fan, I just want him to be in the NL West or AL West, if he’s not going to be a Brave.
AndyMeyer
I’ll laugh when the Braves don’t make the playoffs
rice
Guess you won’t be laughing for years
AndyMeyer
Meh. Probably this year.
antsal
Leave the Braves fans alone. They’re busy planning their 20-year anniversary since the last time they were in the World Series.
advplee
So? Some franchises have not even won a playoff series in 20 years, let alone a World Series.
Moneyballer
I think its a matter of the amount of guranteed money being offered. Whoever misses out on Harper will miss based on the caveats in the contract. Players want guarantees they don’t want to have to have 600 at-bats in year 8 in order to get paid. I also think trade protection is important as well. I’m guessing Harper likes the idea of settling down on the west coast (near his hometown) and will give LA and SF every opportunity to match or better Phillys offer.
petfoodfella
I think he’ll clearly give them the chance, otherwise h’d prob already be signed. But I do think he wants to play on the West Coast.
bravos14
As a fan of baseball and baseball players, I’m tired.
geauxbraves
Maybe he will have a prime time special on ESPN announcing where he’s signing.
Yankeepatriot
The dodgers have a ton of money coming off the books by 2020 I believe. If they are close to 10 years I think he is a dodger
mays2425
The giants have 1 contract that goes into 2021. They have way more cap space right now and will literally have a new team in 2021.
Yankeepatriot
If both can afford him it would be in the dodgers favor imo
El Kabong
Can people please stop overusing and misusing “:literally.” Do you even know what the word means? The Giants will not literally have a new team in 2021.
stephaniebpetagno
Although the Giants have a couple of stinking contracts -Shark, Longo – they are actually in pretty excellent shape salary wise after 2020. There’s no certainty a draft pick – however high – gets you a prospect half as good as Harper.
tgovey
I think the Giants would be a great choice for him. It would be his team, not 1 of many superstars like the Dodgers, and it’s nice location and ballpark.
Yankeepatriot
How many superstars do the dodgers really have besides kershaw (if walker continues where he left off he is another) ? I love Seager and Cody but they aren’t “superstars” imo
El Kabong
Seager was Top 5 combined WAR for the 2016-17 seasons. If Derek Jeter was ever a superstar, then Seager surely is.
pacman alan
I think it’s pretty obvious what’s going on here.
Boras is trying to push the dodgers or SF to get Harper who naturally prefers to play closer to home on the west coast.
He’ll then have the Phillies sign Keuchel with that “stupid money” that’s leftover from not acquiring Harper.
Keuchel is running out of suitors and Phillies is a logical fit.
Psychguy
Clearly he does not want to play for Phils if he’s still hanging around.
James1955
In the Friedman era, the Dodgers don’t do long contracts.
Bluemarlin528
I love that Boras & the Giants are trying to get the Dodgers to up there offer to 10 years.
Lets face it, the Giants are in need of a major rebuild and Harper isn’t going to a re-build.
Solar Flare
I really don’t care where he signs, just please end this already
path501@yahoo.com 2
Why do teams pony up so much money, on a long term contract that will likely go to the end of a career for a player that will only put up prime baseball numbers for half of his tenure?
This right now is the problem with sports. I blame greed as the only motivating factor here. Baseball needs to take control of this problem and show agents that a player is only good to the team during his prime seasons. Terms would get shorter and the player would have to prove his worth again if he wants to continue to play. That would in turn motivate the player to play hard to EARN another contract.
martras
Because his prime value is worth $40M per year and is expected to continue for the next 5 years and the impact of inflation on salaries from years 6-10 mean his declined form would likely still generate surplus value. We’ll assume the cost of a win = $8M
Salary adjusted for 5% inflation and the cost per win in todays dollars assuming a 10 yr / $330M contract at $33M per year.
1 (26) – $33.0M, 5 WAR, $6.6M/WAR
2 (27) – $31.4M, 5 WAR, $6.3M/WAR
3 (28) – $29.9M, 5 WAR, $6.0M/WAR
4 (29) – $28.5M, 5 WAR, $5.7M/WAR
5 (30) – $27.1M, 5 WAR, $5.2M/WAR
6 (31) – $25.9M, 4 WAR, $6.5M/WAR
7 (32) – $24.6M, 4 WAR, $6.2M/WAR
8 (33) – $23.4M, 3 WAR, $7.8M/WAR
9 (34) – $22.3M, 3 WAR, $7.4M/WAR
10 (35) – $21.3M, 2 WAR, $10.6M/WAR
Harper would generate surplus value for all but the 10th year of the contract in the above scenario.
Koamalu
If you are using Fangraphs WAR, the cost of a win is $10.5 million.
nonadhominem
That’s a bogus number – it’s not what a win “costs” teams and no team could afford to pay that for every win.
martras
From my understanding, the value of WAR on Fangraphs is based upon other free agent contracts mean production vs mean cost. Since there are some horrible contracts out there, I believe they are disproportionately throwing the metric so far out of whack that it’s not longer all that valuable.
It might be better if Fangraphs used the median production vs median cost, but I haven’t spent any time trying to figure out whether or not I can make that work.
kabphillie
Harper will sign with one of the west coast teams. Phillies fans will be irate that Middleton didn’t throw the Brinks truck at Harper. Everyone will be pissed.
Bone19
They’ll have Trout they can try and sign and redeem themselves a bit. Difference being Trout probably actually wants to play in Philly.
stwawk
But even if he did, who is to say Harper would have taken it? I’d speculate that if the Phils offered 10/$350mm and the Giants (or Dodgers) offered 10/$326, he’d sign with the Giants and leave that $24m on the table to avoid playing in Philly.
stwawk
I bet Phillies fans are getting that sinking feeling in their guts — you know, the one that tells you you’re about to learn something you wish wasn’t true. I can’t help but wonder if Harper ever had any intention of signing with the Phils and was just using them as a bargaining chip to land a contract with one of the more iconic franchises out West. And if all the teams who thought they were going to land Arenado are now jumping on the Harper bandwagon, where are the Yankees?
PhilliePhan
Not me. I still think he’s coming to Philly. It’s all about the money, and at the end of the day I think the Phillies will offer the most.
nonadhominem
Sinking feeling? I’m a Phillies fan who does not want him at the price he’ll probably get. I do not believe he will evey live up to it – too inconsistent and too injury prone. all the hype of a first round draft pick with only one year of performance to show for it.
The Dodgers or Giants can have him.
Go West, young man, go West!
I’d prefer the Phillies try to work out a deal with the Dbacks for Greinke (assuming he’d waive his NTC). It would be money much better spent.
giantsguy41
If Harper is receiving the same offer from SF and LA, hard to imagine him signing with the Giants.
ASapsFables
God (Jerry Reinsdorf) forbid that the White Sox shouldn’t also be part of any 10 year conversations with FA Bryce Harper. Regardless, if the Dodgers are indeed willing to go to that length with Harper they will be the prohibitive favorites to land him, not Philly, SF or even the CWS.
In that scenario, White Sox GM Rick Hahn should be on speed dial with Andrew Friedman trying to acquire a potentially young displaced lefty hitting OF bat, preferably Alex Verdugo and not Joc Pederson.
john carpenter
He obviously DOES NOT want to sign with the Phillies
PCOLA SOX FAN
He should sign with the White Sox they will be moving to Vegas soon
acmeants
Ten year deals are a losing proposition for the teams. Just ask the Angels how that has worked out. While I’m opposed to that sort of contract for free agents because no one can predict the future with accuracy, multi-year extensions for future face of the franchise players such as Vlad Jr. and Acuna make some sense.
disadvantage
You’re not wrong, but regarding the Angels, Pujols turned 32 before year one of the contract, and still had 10 years remaining. Machado and Harper are 6 years younger than that.
SupremeZeus
“A source indicates that the Phillies believe their chances of landing Bryce Harper are remote,” former Mets GM and current Sirius XM analyst Steve Phillips tweeted.
SoCalBrave
Harper has a need to be loved by fans and has very thin skin. That’s why he doesn’t want to sign with the Phillies. For one, he would be playing vs the Nats a lot and he’s scared that they would constantly boo him. Secondly, the Phillies fans are not afraid to boo their own players when they deserve it. On the other hand, the Dodgers or Giants are very forgiving of underperforming players and have a more relaxed atmosphere, while still showing plenty of support.
basquiat
Nats fans do not boo returning players. They welcome them back. They appreciate the time they were Nats. What you are describing doesn’t happen. In fact, Nats fans rarely boo at anything.
lefty58
Why do you think making things up helps your position?
bpflyers1
Boras played the Phillies. He used them to pump up the price knowing he had the Giants there at the end. The Giants are desperate and have no player currently to draw fan interest. The Phillies played this whole free agent situation poorly. They could have had Machado for $320 million. It would have solved their 3rd base problem and their middle of the order issue.
davidkaner
I agree. Phillies should have made a big stupid offer & gave it an expiration. Machado used them too so Philly got burned yet as these contracts play out, they might be happy these guys signed elsewhere. Now come on & trade for Castellanos & get similar numbers for 25 million less per year!!
petfoodfella
Giants drew the 4th highest attendance in 2018. I don’t think they need to worry about drawing the fans interest. The fan base is very loyal.
Balk
Very true but signing Harper will bring that club back to sellout crowds
Cam
Yet according to so many people here, Boras is washed up and out of touch. Which one is it?
cleribe
I’m going to be honest: I did not read all 300+ comments so someone may have already said this.
To me this move doesn’t make much sense for the Giants. I understand that Harper being a valuable player and the long-term face of a franchise but it seems like San Francisco doesn’t have the talent to support him.
They would have to be banking on huge rebounds from Shark, Longoria, etc., which isn’t guaranteed by any means. Plus they don’t have a highly rated farm system. Cueto is out and you have no idea what you’ll get once he gets back.
It just doesn’t seem logical to me.
RIPprosports
Don’t see the Dodgers going 10 years. Makes no sense for the Dodgers or any NL team to sign a player until he’s 36. Be nice to know if DH will be coming to NL soon!
abcrazy4dodgers
Dodgers may come in with something like $310M over 10 yrs, 40MM first 4 yrs, 25MM last 6, with those 6 yrs coming each with opt-outs. Long term and short term wins for each side.
Balk
Doubt it
Basebal101
As a Dodger’s fan, please Giants sign him to 10 years!
Hondo_Lane
If only Eight NL West titles in 10 years was really better than 3 World Series championships in 10 years.. darnit
El Kabong
Harper or no Harper, the Giants are headed for a long rebuild.
SargentDownvote
All it takes is an off-season or two of good signings and a rookie or two to make the team… and you’re back in it. It’s the NL West.
Rebuilding and competing shouldn’t take 5 years anymore. Harper IS hyped… but he would most certainly make a difference in the NL West between the Giants and Dodgers. The Giants would probably get a better bang for their buck than the Dodgers, since there is more upside in SF. Dodgers already compete.
Hondo_Lane
Harper wants West Coast AND the money/term deal. He doesn’t hit for average necessarily so he better be able to hit the ball over the wall in the heavy air. A Harper deal could turn the Giants around.
Dubplate
Saying nobody wants to play in Philadelphia is ridiculous. Let’s not forget that Manny gave the Phillies the opportunity to match San Diego’s offer but they declined.
lefty58
At least that’s what Phillies management is telling people….
beetlejuice
If I was Harper and for that kind of money I would go to a team in a state where you could buy pot legally.
HubcapDiamondStarHalo
Scott Boras has announced that Bryce Harper “is almost certain to sign before the 2020 season begins…”
robbyb 2
60% of all statistics are made up
chicagofan1978
Is this one of them?
smkelly1970
60% of the time it works EVERY time!
billysbballz
I keep saying it, if Dodgers would go 10 years for Harper at an annual contract of 30 plus million. Stanton has 9 years left including this at an annual cap hit of 22 mill. If Dodgers are seriously going to 10 years then there will be allot of dodger fans with pie on their faces who insisted Dodgers would never do a long term contract. If I had to decide between the two with long term contracts I’m gonna have to lean towards Stanton based on cap hit, offensive numbers, etc. But the fact is the Dodgers need a Right Handed bat while the Yanks need a left handed bat. Dodger fans I would love to hear your opinion on 10 years of Harper?
dodgerfan
I’m on the fence with Harper…sure it’s exciting to get a player of his caliber however if the gnats get him, I believe it will really handcuff them in their attempt to fill so many needs. The longer the gnats are on the mat, the less I have to hear from their fanbase here in norcal.
Swinging Friars
All of the armchair gm’s in here are woefully wrong. A fan or a few fans think 10 years is too much…..ain’t going to change a thing!
Stanton would have been the better get for the Dodgers but that opportunity passed a long time ago. Don’t let history repeat itself!
And to all of the people who think this contract will hinder future spending…. Demand the owners re invest in their team! Simple really. I never thought I’d ever say this but….Baseball needs more of that George Steinbrenner mentality bad. These are toys to the owners, more akin to a yacht than a business. There is no reason for payrolls to be stagnant while revenues continue to rise
Scrap1ron
Harper doesn’t want the Phillies stupid money.
rsmlbtr
I think Bruce wants to sign with dodgers. I think boras has realized that every knows that he doesn’t want to play for Phillip and is know using the giants to try to get the dodgers to raise their offer.
22Leo
Bruce Leroy?
diehardcubfan 2
Pretty clear to most intelligent observers. He doesn’t want to play in Philly.
AndyMeyer
Don’t take anything as truth until the ink is dry. Over the weekend it was the Phillies, then the dodgers and now the giants. Tomorrow it may be the Dodgers or the Phillies again
sheff86
If he had any stones,he would sign with Philly
SargentDownvote
stones in his head.
The Eagles run Philly. Then the Sixers and Flyers. Phillies are fourth, unless there is a WNBA team in Philadelphia.
BrewCrew1302
watch the Phillies and all their “stupid money” to spend whiff on both Harper and Machado lmao. Clearly, he is not interested in Philly. He will end up in Cali, either giants or dodgers, leaning towards the giants though.
AndyMeyer
You could be right. I don’t believe in the “he’s not interested in playing in Philly” stuff people have been lead to believe. He’s never spoken bad about Philly and has put up solid numbers. Comes down to if either the giants or dodgers are willing go the distance with the most years and dollars. If not, I can’t see him not ending up here in Philly
Swinging Friars
The ballpark in Philly is one of the most LH hitter friendly parks too
He definitely does not hate Philly. That’s just a dumb narrative being pushed by haters
PiratesFan1981
Another bonds going to SF
Swinging Friars
Can you imagine Harper Hulking out? And all the stupid chit the detractors will say to defend it.. “that’s just how the forehead is supposed to grow” or “most men start filling out in their 30’s” hahahahahha! good stuff, I change my vote to the Giants!
Balk
Hahahahaha, good stuff right there!
TellItGoodbye
A third of a billion dollars for a .249 hitter with 169 k’s going from #13 ranked hitter’s park to #30 ranked. No ballpark in baseball depresses home runs more than Oracle, and especially lefty hitters’ homers. 30% less HR at SF’s park than Nationals’, even more profound loss for lefties. Re-think this, Baer!
Tragic.
Swinging Friars
come on, really?!? 30% less????? Dude, reality exists…go find it
TellItGoodbye
In fact it’s exactly a 30% overall decrease factor b/t DC & SF parks, and 32% for lefties. espn.com/fantasy/baseball/story/_/page/mlbdk2k16_p…
Swinging Friars
I have to stop you right there. Espn? the leader in entertainment sports?? You may be right but citing ESPN as a source isn’t going to help. They’re more hype and fluff than Fox news!
Bald Vinny
“Fake News”
To heck with facts.
Balk
A player at oracle usually loses anywhere from 3 to 5 homers a year cause of that park. That’s with Belt. Harper has way more pop then that. I think he’ll make up for what he loses at Colorado and Arizona easy!
mfh530
hey philly! you don’t got a chance! 2 teams in cali now want him….send some of that stupid money to me
Dubplate
The Phillies already had a great offseason and will be fine if they don’t sign Harper.
Central Valley
I wonder if the Dodgers regret extending Kershaw? Nothing against Kershaw, he’s a absolute stud. But the money could could be used for Harper. Or does it even matter?
As a Giants fan, I’d love to take my family to the park to watch Harper. I’d probably buy my little girl his jersey. The Giants desperately need a young, exciting talent like Harper. The Dodgers seem already loaded with talent at just about every position.
This doesn’t seem like Mr. Zaidi, probably all ownership.
My gut tells me he signs with the Dodgers, my hope is he signs with the Giants. Regardless, I’m glad it’s baseball season again.
jleve618
Fine, our money ain’t good enough, we’ll wait for the one who wants to play here.
SargentDownvote
I knew it. Harper does not want to be in Philly. I’m sure Boras was on the phone nonstop telling the Giants and Dodgers that his client is willing to give a little with them.
ChiSoxCity
There were no teams better positioned to add a high dollar free agent this year than the Phillies and White Sox. Both teams ended being used to garner similar contract offers elsewhere. This is the main reason why teams tank. It’s the only other way to acquire elite talent needed to contend. Until the MLB figures out how to improve free agency, teams will continue to tank, and 2nd tier (and lower) players will continue to struggle finding satisfactory contracts.
Swinging Friars
It’s free agency.. Players are free to choose which team to play for. His and Machado’s preference shouldn’t be viewed as a slight on Chicago or Philly. It’s just their preference to play on the west coast. Not really a big deal. There are plenty of big talent players who prefer the east coast. The league is big and covers a lot of ground….The day a player preferred the west over east was bound to happen. Chit, there might even be a player or two who prefer the midwest? Could happen..
petefrompp
Sorry free agency is just that …… players are free to sign where they choose.
From what we think we know the WhiteSox didn’t offer anything close to what the Padres offer for Machado – should MLB fix it so players have to take the lower contract ??
On Harper – well have to wait and see , it seems like he would prefer west coast but I think he signs with whoever offers him the best deal – White Sox or Philly can offer him the best deal , they just may choose not to – doesn’t mean the free agen system is broken.
ChiSoxCity
I agree with all that. My main point was in response to players and people in the media complaining about teams tanking and not wanting to pay free agents. As we’ve seen, signing these sort of replacement level journeymen free agents to multi-year contracts has gotten teams nowhere. You need elite talent in order to contend. As a result, teams aren’t willing to commit lucrative contracts to these types of players the last 2-3 offseasons. The player’s union isn’t happy about it, but until the league adopts some form of salary cap (and floor), more teams will start tanking, and more players will find themselves signing meager 1-year contracts.
scottaz
Phillies better break out some of that “stupid money” or they are going to lose out on both Machado and Harper.
Looks like Harper definitely gets that record breaking deal he and Boras were looking for. Nothing like a little bidding war! Music to Boras’ ears.
GarryHarris
As it stands, the Phillies are perhaps the biggest winners of the off-season. Harper isn’t even that good… especially enough to burden the franchise for the next ten years.
jmaggio76
so overpriced
and a jerkoff of a player. in MY OPINION, not certainly a player I’d want to build a team around.
but then again, I don’t own a team…
sad how this game has gotten with salaries
beisbol1976
All seems made up to drive up the price. There’s no way SF or LA is going ten years.
raef715
well, they are using the word “discussed” rather than “offered.”
If i call up the Giants and ask for a 10 year contract, and they laugh, say no way, and hang up the phone, can i say i discussed a 10 year deal with the Giants.
outinleftfield
The Giants went to Las Vegas twice. Even their beat writers are saying they made an offer over 10/300.
WAR_OVERRATED
Is that true that Boras is asking Barry Bonds to coach Harper as part of a possible contract with SF? It’s to give advice about injuries as he gets older. Since the contract would be based on performance bonus.
22Leo
Aka proper injection technique.
Burback
He’ll never crack 30+ HRs again in SF unless he goes with the berry bonds special!
DadsInDaniaBeach
Good evening..I too am getting a gut feeling this thing has slipped away from the Phillies..They talk of valuation…I thought Middleton drove that ship, but just maybe McPhail and Klentak are influencing the principal owner.
As a Phan, I am disappointed. I do want Harper in Philly..They need that big lefty bat..It would play huge in “The Bank”. Also, it would fill out that already good lineup…
After the dust settles, then I would not be shocked to see them get Dallas..They do not need Kimbrel..
flyerzfan12
I don’t see them going after Dallas if they strike out on Bryce, especially having to deal with Boras again. Kimbrel would be possible if his ask has come down
nonadhominem
I don’t want Harper in Philly at the price he wants.
Go West, young man, go West!!!!
I also agree they do not need Kimbrel – he also won’t IMO be worth the money.
Keuchel would be OK on the contract that MLBTR predicted for him, not the 6/150 he was reportedly requesting.
PhilliePhan
Don’t worry. We’re still getting Bryce.
Central Valley
I am a Giants fan and I am almost certain that Bryce Harper will sign with the Dodgers.
I hope I’m wrong, but doubt it.
MrMet33
1 season over 5 WAR in his career. Sure – that’s worth $35MM. He ranked 78th last year on Fangraphs – but let’s pay him like #1.
Jose Ramirez put up 8.0 WAR, plays premium defense a multiple positions and is making AAV of $5M per season.
outinleftfield
Jose Ramirez is not a 26 year old free agent. 2 seasons over 1.000 OPS and 1 season over 10.0 WAR. He is 26 so he is going to get better. Better than 10.0 WAR.
Grizalt
I wonder if Jose Ramirez signs that extension in hindsight…
Lanidrac
Why couldn’t this kind of activity have happened over a month ago? I suppose it really is also partly the teams’ fault as to the slow moving market this offseason.
That doesn’t excuse Harper and his agent, though. They should’ve made a hard deadline of the beginning of minor league camps as to when Harper’s pursuers needed to submit their final bids and then made a decision. He wouldn’t have lost that much money that way and would get to benefit from a full Spring Training.
Although, a full Spring Training isn’t as necessary for established hitters as it is for pitchers, so this is actually a tactic that would’ve been even better for Keuchel to use. I still have no idea what’s holding up his market.
22Leo
This is likely going on so long because Boras and Harper did not get the offers rolling in that they wanted and expected so they have been holding out in hopes that some better offers will be presented.
Yep it is
Hey nothing like “ hype” to overpay. Career 280 hitter with 26 HRS AND Average 75 RBI’s. What a joke the game has become.
DougieJones
Its the hair flip!!!
Willy Mays
And that number is skewed by his MVP year when he hit a 330 with 42 hrs and 99 rbis
DougieJones
These “expected to sign soon” articles have been written all offseason. I can’t wait for him to sign anywhere! But I hope he signs with the Giants.
Z-A 2
Phils could trade for Castellanos, he wants out. Costs 9.5M for one year, and they can offer him a QO he may accept. Neither Harper/Cast plays a good RF anyway.
kershawsgrandma22
Dang it dodgers!
Lefty Grove’s right hand
This is all a ploy from the dodgers to try and make the Giants bleed see how much they are willing to go.
kershawsgrandma22
Probably lol but they’re making their fans bleed by not getting it done
Balk
That’s funny, I don’t think any ball club jumps in for the heck of it to up the price. I’m sure it happens, but not intentional. The Dodgers legitimately would like Harper on the field. Just think they’re not as desperate as the Giants right now! And yes the giants are my team. I think this could come back and bite them but they do have a lot of money coming off the books in two years.
GoldenArm
I wouldn’t doubt that a bit. Harper could flame out trying to launch everything into the Cove, keep pulling off the ball, and turn into a Dave Kingman. Who can tell the future? The Dodgers FO, Friedman in particular, does not offer 10 year megabuck contracts. Putting a huge amount of your eggs in one basket can lead to jealousy and resentment on a team, and ruin chemistry. Harper can’t pitch, and the Giants offense even with Harper is not enough to counter the Dodgers stacked lineup. The game is won and lost on the Mound, not the Batters’ Box, and Harper is not needed on the Dodgers. The Giants need him desperately and are going to have to pay out the nose to beat Philly for him, with Friedman jacking up the price at every opportunity.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
Dave Kingman has a lifetime .302 OBP. You need a better (potential) comparison. Harper is/will always be a much better player than Kingman.
GoldenArm
Read this carefully:
“Harper could flame out trying to launch everything into the Cove, keep pulling off the ball, and turn into a Dave Kingman.”
Nowhere did I say Kingman was a better player than Harper. What I said was he COULD turn into ANOTHER Kingman… not that he would, and NOT that he compares to Kingman right now
Big difference
Although, looking at bWar, Kingman had 4 or 5 years where he put up more WAR than Harper did in 2016 and 2018, where Harper was less that 2 WAR…so, if he declines on the order of say Vernon Wells, Pujols, or many other Mega-Contract players, he COULD turn into another Kingman..
To say it isn’t possible for him to decline that bad, you are not much of a baseball historian. Looked what Josh Hamilton Turned into. The Mighty Josh was paid about $125 MILLION just to GO AWAY.
The Angels WISH Pujols would go away. He is Negative War now, and has been for awhile. Mike Hampton signed a huge contract and couldn’t get anybody out.
WILL Harper flame out? I don’t know, and neither does anybody else. But a LOT of guys do, and so could Harper. He goes through spells pulling off the ball like a 12 year old trying to hit a HR with every swing. He is not a very smart player. He also has already turned into a bad defenseman. Any way you look at it, a huge contract is always a Gamble….usually a bad gamble, as the last half of most of these contracts are getting nothing worthwhile from the player.
That is why Friedman has never given a huge contract out, and why I believe he is just trying to drive the price up and Make the Giants pay the price when Harper starts hitting .239 with 21 HR and pitiful in the outfield, if that’s how it turns out
Gwynning's Anal Lover
Do I hear 20 years, anybody 20 years?
dahnthemahn90
Haven’t read the 480 comments but I think part of what appeals about the Giants is that Bruce would be the guy. If he is looking for the notariety resulting from scoring the biggest ever paycheck, odds are he wants to be the guy on whatever team he signs with. Right now the Giants’sguys are Posey and Bumgarner. I’m a couple years it may well be Harper alone. The Dodgers have plenty of young talent, and he may feel that his impact would not be fully appreciated. One of the few benefits of having an aged team and few prospects close to being major leave ready I suppose.
Balk
Did you see Joey Bart today? The dude is starting off damn good. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him in September.
dahnthemahn90
I did. Dude knows how to hit and apparently call a game. But as far as I’ve seen, apart from him and Heliot no one else is really even projected to be a regular at the big league level, at least not any time soon.
Balk
Sure there is, Anderson is one, Suarez and Rodriguez is barely getting there first full years in. Shaw can breakout, signed some good depth too. Adon is another good reliever along with moranta! Get Harper and a core can be established
dahnthemahn90
Suarez and Moranta are solid, sure, but they’ll never have the same pedigree and likely will never perennially considered for an all star roster spot. They just aren’t at his level. Go en that, the Giants would be Harper’s team. If he wants that role, he’s more likely to get it in SF than in LA.
But I like Reyes and Suarez. Not as confident about Shaw but he has obvious power.
norcalblue
Has a dodger fan, my preference would be that the LAD acquire him for 3-6 years, with an opt out after three years. As Whitey Herzog often said, getting the heart of the watermelon is always the best.
That scenario is not likely, however, and so my next preference would be that the Giants sign him for 10+ years in excess of $300 million. The Giants already have the challenge of multiple bad (almost dead) contracts; adding Harper and soaking up another $300 million is just going to make their rebuild even more difficult.
Lorenzo
The Giants don’t have to rebuild. They have about $30M coming off the books in a year or two, another $100M after 2021, and they’re one of the top five revenue teams, so they could replace the over-30 veterans with decent free agents to stay competitive after 2 years while rebuilding the farm. After the third year, they have even more money available for top free agents. A ten year contract for Harper would then make sense.
norcalblue
Well sir, i’m hoping that Giants’ management are as delusional as you, they offer the contract you suggest and Harper takes it.
nonadhominem
Almost EVERY team in MLB would be Harper’s market if he’d sign for 3 – 6 years. the Phillies and Giants would love that too. It would probably bring the Yankees, Cards, CHW, and even the Braves into the mix. It might even cause the Nats to rethink walking away.
norcalblue
But see, he wants to play in LA—which is why offering the most AV for fewer years, with an opt out just might put him in Dodger blue! Probably not, but Friedman is gonna find out it seems.
Piro
BS, I think it’s Boras trying to make the Phillies raise their offer.
Lorenzo
How did Scott Boras get the Giants CEO to go along and fly to Las Vegas to meet with Harper? Either Boras is privately willing to commit Harper to less than 10 years, or the Giants are now willing to go that long. Either way, the Phillies are likely to lose out.
nonadhominem
Lorenzon – some of Phillies fans would be happy to “lose out” on his likely contract.
Go West, young man, go West!.
Koamalu
So you are saying that there are some truly unintelligent baseball fans in Philly?
nonadhominem
Oh yeah wise one – anyone who disagrees with you is automatically unintelligent. Way to convince someone,
Why don’t you, instead of insulting people, actually post some data on these pages trying to convince some of us that Harper will be worth the contract?
I can be convinced – show me! I actually didn’t initially think Machado would be worth the money he got, but an analytically inclined friend of mine made a pretty good case for it.
So go ahead – offer up something more than your opinion.
We await your unimpeachable wisdom.
outinleftfield
Wow. He has said it clearly. What part of it is going over your head? What data is there that shows that the Dodgers are actually going to make a short term offer when they know they have no chance at signing Harper to a short term deal? You don’t care about the data, you care about reading your own posts.
Koamalu
Everything seems to go over his head.
nonadhominem
You really are out in left field. What does a Dodgers offer have to do with my post?
My comment invited him to provide some data and make a case that Harper will be worth the contract he will probably get, He/she has provided nothing other than his/her own opinion that Harper will be worth the money, and insulted those who don’t agree with him/her.
Many others here, OTOH, have looked at Harper’s past performance – the extreme inconsistency and the injury history – and based on that have offered up their educated opinions – educated by the data – that Harper is an extreme risk to not be worth the contract he likely will sign.
I invite Koamalu and you to provide your interpretation of the data and convince me and the others where we might be erring in our thought process.
Or, you can do as you have been, and just continue to insult us
Your choice.
outinleftfield
Look around the thread. Several people have already shown how you are wrong. That happens every thread you post on.
nonadhominem
sorry – there has been no post using available data that is convincing. Point out the post with convincing evidence – not opinion and conjecture.
JayRyder
GIANTS !!!
snotrocket
I think Harper is one of the most overrated players I’ve ever seen and it would be a terrible idea for the Giants to sign him. That being said, I still want them to because it isn’t my money and they have been absolutely unwatchable for 2 and 1/2 years. It’s sad when the only AB you get exited for is Bumgarner.
mattwild1
This might be the most accurate thing i’ve seen… as a fellow giants fan, i think he’s overrated but at the same time i want to see some bombs, since clearly no one else on their roster is able to. i think it’s pretty low risk, since they could build around him over the next decade or whatever they agree on, and the fans will be a lot happier having someone of his caliber to watch.
Joeypower
The rays are in serious talk with harper!
murphydog
Buster Olney is worthless. Please MLBTR, don’t quote or refer to him.
Comrade Tipsy McStagger
An observation: all kinds of people have been really criticizing Boras, throwing epithets at him, calling him a failure this off-season (including making assumptions that he would fail with the Harper contract). But you know what folks? Boras made this last minute spectacle happen and will likely get Harper a might hefty contract. I think a lot of commenters are going to be eating their words.
(Note: I do not have any affinity towards Boras or agents in general. This is just an observation that I believe will most likely be true.)
nonadhominem
Tipsy, I agree – I posted here a couple of times, warning people not to underestimate Boras and Dan Lozano.
RIPprosports
NO, the Dodgers are still in short term contract talks? 6 years tops. Stuff is too funny!
Koamalu
Do you really believe they made a short term offer? Knowing that Boras said that Harper would not accept a short term offer and that at least 3 other teams had made long term offers? Do you really think Friedman is that stupid?
nonadhominem
Oh Great Koamalu, the wisest of us all – it depends on the AAV of the offer Friedman may have made.
Suppose he offered 6/240 with a 3 year opt out. Harper could make 120MM the next 3 years, opt out, and probably would be able to get 300MM for the 10 years after that from some fool of an owner.
That’s 13/420MM – AAMOF, that would beat the 14/420 projected by MLBTR.
Friedman would actually be pretty smart making that offer, not stupid.
So Harper would have a decision to make if he really wants to play in LA: bet on himself and accept a guarantee of only 240MM to play where he really wants to, or go for the maximum dollars and play in either Philadelphia or the ballpark where most hitters go to die.
Koamalu
It does not matter one bit what the AAV is. It matters what the guaranteed dollars are. And Boras was public long ago in saying that Harper would not accept a short term deal. The Dodgers have not offered anything shorter than 10 years. Olney is trying to get clicks. Anyone that believes they wasted time going to Las Vegas in the middle of spring training to make an offer that was 100% not going to be accepted is just not thinking.
outinleftfield
$240 million is less money than the offers that Harper already has. Why would he accept less guaranteed money? Friedman is not making that offer. Would be a colossal waste of time and money to take an entourage to see Harper and make that offer.
nonadhominem
So, I guess you have evidence the Dodgers have offered 10 years?
Enlighten us, oh wise one – please!
nonadhominem
So – every public report has the Dodgers offering a short term deal. What evidence do you have that the reports are wrong? Not your opinion or your speculation – evidence.
Koamalu
1:26pm: All of the teams still engaged with Harper’s camp — including, presumably, the Dodgers and Phillies — have discussed contracts of at least one decade in length, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle
twitter.com/hankschulman/status/110083894022589644…
Read the article you are commenting on.
And at least try to have at least a touch of common sense.
nonadhominem
I missed that in my quick scan. I stand corrected.
It doesn’t change my opinion that Harper will not likely be worth the contract he receives.
BaseballisLife
The way free agency has turned out the last 2 seasons, there is no way any player is going to take a shorter deal just to get a little more AAV. They are going to want the most money guaranteed. No way they are going to take a deal just because it has an opt out at 30 years old. Teams just are not paying 30 year old guys the big dollars.
norcalblue
No, he’s calling Harper’s bluff. If Harper really wants to play in LA, Friedman is giving Harper that opportunity with the highest AAV offer. If Harper ends up prioritizing the most money and is willing play somewhere other than his preferred city, he will have that opportunity as well. In the end, Harper will decide and we will ultimately know what he values most.!
BaseballisLife
Its not calling his bluff, its not signing Harper AND not ever signing another Boras client. Whatever people might say about Boras, he represents a huge group of the very best baseball players. transactions.mlbtraderumors.com/widget/player-agen…
Koamalu
Olney is so full of it. ESPN has lost hundreds of thousands of subscribers and now Olney will say anything to get himself in the news. The Dodgers didn’t send a large group including Friedman, Roberts and other to go to see Harper and Boras during spring training knowing what he wants and the offers he already has and then go in and make him a low ball offer they know he won’t consider. That would be insulting and a huge waste of valuable time during a time of year when they have none to waste. In other words, its a bunch of BS.
Christopher Guzman
Not only Olney saying the Dodgers are offering lower years. They would offer him a higher AAV on a short deal like $35M over 2-3 years
Koamalu
All that matters is guaranteed dollars.
Balk
Like 350 million worth at 10+ years
Balk
I think it’s a bunch of bull that the Dodgers even showed up in the first place. They scream luxury tax this luxury tax that and then sign pollock. They have big depth in the outfield. It’s seeing if he’ll take a discount is all it is. I may be wrong but I don’t see them offering 350 million with the current roster. Nope
Thronson5
This is crazy to me. I’m sure if they wanted to get a deal done they’d have a deal done already. The best free agent we’ve seen in a while and he still hasn’t signed while pre season games are already being played is crazy to me. Just sign already!
nonadhominem
Sorry – but Manny is the better player.
Harper is the more hyped player.
Hey, that’s it: Hype Harper!
Koamalu
10 WAR peak. 7.1 WAR peak. Prime years for MLB players is 26-30 years old and almost all, over 98%, of all players have their best seasons at those ages. There is an extraordinarily high chance that both will be better than their best season so far. Harper’s best is much better than Machado’s best. What Machado has been is more consistent. not better.
BaseballisLife
You are speaking with logic. Nonads is speaking with estrogen. You are not going to convince her.
nonadhominem
Geeze – add a couple of links to Fangraphs and your comment has to await moderation. Sheesh.
here is is without the links:
Actually, aging curves set MLB players peaks at age 26, with a decline setting in after that.
Here’s the data:
Interestingly, the post PED aging curve presented in that Fangraphs article is not too enticing to owners who might want to hand out LT deals to guys into their 30’s.
OTOH, one could describe Harper as a phenom. Here’s an analysis of the aging curves for phenoms, which compares them to “regular” players:
This study shows that phenoms hit their peak performance earlier than average players, and plateau longer, but that they still start to decline in their late 20’s.
Sure, Harper “could” pull off another year like 2015, but it’s just as likely that Harper’s 2015 is the equivalent of Brady Anderson’s 1996.
The charts linked above do not seem to support your opinion that there is an “extraordinarily high chance that both will be better than their best season so far”, whatever that means. For one season? All of them? Oh, there’s a chance ( ), there’s always a ‘chance” (possibility of a random event), but I disagree based on past performance that it’s “extraordinarily high”. OTOH, I’ would agree that there is an “extraordinarily high” chance that Mike Trout produces at least 7.5 rWAR this season.
That said, to address your other points:
One, you can’t selectively ignore (cherrypick) data, which is what your post did. You can’t just use peak years. It’s not a fair way to do an analysis.
per fWAR and per per rWAR, Harper had 3 of seven seasons where he was better than Machado. Harper and Machado have both had one peak season – coincidentally the same year, 2015. One could argue that their rookie seasons aren’t comparable, because Machado got held down until August and Harper was up at the end of April. So if one allows that that season can’t be used as an example of who was better that year (WAR is a cumulative counting stat), then Machado has been better in 4 of the last 6 seasons.
Harper’s peak year was inarguably better than Machado’s, but in 3 of the last 6 years he has had a rWAR under 2.. That is not good, and there is no way to spin it otherwise,.
In my opinion, great players aren’t bad to mediocre every other year – for whatever reason. To me, more consistent is a better player, because he can be relied on on a consistent basis to produce. Machado’s worst rWAR year in the last 5 (2014) has been better that 3 of Harper’s last 5 years.
IMO Manny is the better player. “Better” is a subjective evaluation, and you are welcome to yours.
I’m disappointed the Phillies did not sign Machado. I will not be disappointed of they don’t sign Harper.
nonadhominem
BBs for life: another guy who insults instead of providing facts. Hmmmmmmmmm
BaseballisLife
Like I said estrogen, not logic. Players get better after 25. Harper’s best is better than Machado’s best and he will almost certainly get better. Its not subjective and its not all that hard to understand. Now if you want to talk about consistency then you are right, Machado is more consistent.
WAR_OVERRATED
Please, stop using nonsense modern metrics. Put side by side: average, rbi’s and runs. Harper with only one year of +100 rbi’s, is not a superstar period. He isn’t a team player and his chemistry in the dogout is pretty bad too.
nonadhominem
“Players get better after 25.”
Don’t be such a silly little boy. The articles about aging curves – from multiple sources, comprising multiple studies over multiple years using multiple time periods disprove that statement – even for “‘phenoms”.
An accurate statement on your part would have been “some players get better after 25”. Your problem is that you engage in confirmation bias and let small sample sizes form your opinion.
ICYMI, the biggest complaint players have about the FA market is that teams are using that very data to limit their offers to older players.
I’m still waiting for you to post something backed by factual evidence.
Are you a member of the Flat Earth Society?
Vickers
I believe Manny is better, but cash is king. Harper will bring more dollars.
Thronson5
Did I say he was better than Machado? I’m just saying this is one of the best free agents we’ve seen in a while and he hasn’t landed a deal and we already have games being played. That’s crazy to me! If you think it’s not crazy, that’s your opinion. I just don’t get it personally but we all have our opinions. I personally do think Machado has the better career so far for sure just from the fact he hits better for average which is great but Machado was a huge turn off for me with his time in LA. I know Harper isn’t mister hustle either but Machado was in the hunt for a World Series ring and he looked like he couldn’t care less out there, didn’t hustle on balls he made contact and he had far too many lazy swings. There was games in the World Series where he looked like he had already checked out because they were down on the scoreboard. That really pissed me off. No heart and all talent. Will Harper do the same? Not sure but I still would love to have him on the team and cross that path if or when it comes.
gmenfan
If this is true, Bryce would prefer to play in LA, would consider playing in SF, and despises Philly.
PhilliePhan
Bryce loves Philly and the gmen stink.
Christopher Guzman
On the update from the Buster tweet you guys left out that some execs feel the Phillies have offered the most $$$.
Balk
Some
goldenmisfit
Fact he has not signed a Philadelphia offer or a San Francisco offer means he’s trying to wait out the Dodgers. Seems that’s where he really wants to go and is hoping in the 11th hour the Dodgers will finally say OK we’ll go 10 years.
Balk
Hahahahaha
petfoodfella
I think he’s just negotiating with SF to increase to record breaking contract (11+ years, $326m+) and should be wrapped up by Sat night is my guess.
diehardcubfan 2
Waiting for a Cubs in on Harper. Trading Heyward to SF rumor lol
lioneyz
WOW! Well played as they totally schooled and humiliated the Phillies. And to think, although unlikely, they entertained the thought of signing both Machado and Harper.
Philly totally dropped their pants and offered Harper the world leaving people to believe that he was pigeonholed and destined to in Philly.
In the words of Lee Corso,”NOT SO FAST!” Now Bryce is California dreaming on such a winter’s day!
raef715
fans may have entertained the idea of signing both, but there is no evidence the Phillies did.
how did the Phils drop their pants by makiing him a good offer? what would you have done differently if you were the Phils?
lt michaels
Sounds like Boras waited for Phillies final/ best offer (reportedly $330M +/- ) then shopped it to SF + LA. Phillies absolutely got played. You want a fair shot and it sounds like Harper had no interest in Philly other than use them as leverage.. Phillies need to have some dignity and pull their offer off the table. They are looking like boobs. And avoid Boras at all costs.
Vickers
Super interesting time for the Giants and Dodgers to be playing with the same playbook. Funny how the cheap strategy doesn’t work against itself.
22jclark
While I’d love to have Harper in SF, it makes little sense based on the supposed approach they were going to take under Zaidi. Zaidi definitely is not the one driving this on SF side, it’s ownership. They should go with what they have and see how things look in July. They can still add at that time if they are in contention. If not, you dump the movable guys if they are having good years (Smith, Dyson, Watson, Pomeranz, Holland, Panik, Bumgarner) and you speed up the restocking of the farm system. You then continue to let the remaking 6 bad contracts play out, unless you can find a sucker or one of the guys with a no trade clause agrees to a trade and you keep working through this mess. Harper ain’t Bonds and he’s not worth $300+million. The guys they have don’t need to have career years, they need to stay healthy and just perform at a reasonable level. Williamson will give them 20+ HR’s and he’s cheap. They’ve added some depth, see how this plays out for a bit. Harper wants to be in LA. Let them give him $35-40M per year and we’ll check back in July
hummm babyyyy
Harper is Bonds pre-balco. Just bring back the cream and 350 over 10 would be well worth it.
apbadogs
You really have no idea how good Bonds was pre-balco, do you?
hummm babyyyy
Olney now on Larry Baer’s payroll. Zzzzzzzzz don’t drink the coolaide Giants fans.
James1955
It is reported that Harper wants a big offer and prefers to be close to home. He will leave a little on the table, but not a lot to be close to home.
hummm babyyyy
Season ticket sales staff are working overtime tonight. Bryce to SF reup your tickets now. Just like last year with Stanton and Ohtani.
PhilliePhan
Everybody stay calm here!!!!!! He’s not going to the Dodgers or Giants. He’s going to the Phillies. Money is the most important factor and the Phils will offer the most. City is way down on the list.
VegasSDfan
He is going to a West Coast team
petfoodfella
If that was the case, he’d be a Philly already.
Balk
Lol
stansfield123
the Giants’ offer would “likely give Harper a chance at the record dollar figure he has been looking for.”
————-
$325M?
petfoodfella
Has to be more than $325. Could be $325,000,000.01 but let’s be honest, we know it’ll be several million over.
VegasSDfan
washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/bryce-harper-l…
Balk
Isn’t that post upsetting for a Nats fan? I know it’s from 2012 but I guess players grow up, or just get money hungry. It will be weird seeing Harper in a new uniform. No matter where the young man signs.
Jimcarlo Slaton
Wow, could he go with the Giants, who are an older, bad team with a bad farm system.. Aside from their willingness to spend, Giants are in bad shape…. I think he might choose them anyway if the money is right. Then again, he could be using them in hope the Phillies will increase their offer, and vice versa.
lunatic_fringe83
Sign Harper, Bart and Ramos are coming. Let Farhan do his thing with scouting. In a few years the SFG can flip the scrip
WAR_OVERRATED
The latest is Boras will talk about Harper with Japanese and Mexican teams. Since they may give his protégé a record salary in pesos or yen, at least. All based on modern metrics, not looking at his limited 100 rbi’s season, one. – – A new definition of super star. Super overrated by MLB writers.
$crewBaLL
Get this over with, sick of these reporters assuming he will sign with so and so
“Harper will sign late monday afternoon blah blah blah”
raef715
philly sports talk host Angelo Cataldi finally caved in to the pressure of Scott Boras this morning, not that it was that surprising,, calling Harper names and planning how to go after him verbally when he comes to Philly next year as a Giant or Dodger. just plain stupidity.
DadsInDaniaBeach
If Harper gets a better deal in SF, then good for him..I’d want every last dollar If I was him…nothing wrong with getting every last dollar..Cataldi is just wrong
raef715
well he’d end up with less money due to taxes, but getting the biggest gross seems to be the objective of BH and SB.
Balk
That’s why California signings try to help the player by deferring money. Example would be he signs for 350 million with 100 million deferred and it pays him over the course of his life under a certain amount of millions to keep that last 100 million at a reasonable tax rate. Griffey jr is still raking in 5 million a year I believe from deferred money
petefrompp
I think people forget a few things – the whole idea of free agency is to go where you want as a player.
I’m assuming Bryce is a lot like the rest of us – I know I passed on better paying jobs simply because my wife said – not moving there – too cold , too hot, too far from family.
I’m sure Bryce wants the most $$$ just like I would but at the same time I’m sure there are other factors non baseball related he has to pay attention to. I don’t even pretend to know what those are
Boras’ Jon is to get him the best contract in the place where he wants to be
Non of this is very complicated – the hard part for fans is you don’t know his personal priorities so we really don’t know the how or why it’s playing out this way.
nonadhominem
pete, one issue that the player must deal with is pressure from the union to always take the highest dollar deal. I have to wonder how that affects decisions.
petfoodfella
Big surprise, a person from Philly acting like a jacka$$
FreeWilly
to be fair he’s actually from new england but you’re right, he is still a jacka$$. Thankfully no one in philly takes him seriously.
Jimcarlo Slaton
Mack83, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black, and you’ve managed to solidify that in less than a week.. Keep eating the media narrative, it’ll just keep making you more ignorant..
By the way, Philadelphia sports fans do not respect Cataldi. He has seniority and sparks backlash, which is good enough for most media outlets.
petfoodfella
I’ve been to Philly before. I know Philly fans, met several. I can make my own opinion w/ out the media’s help, thanks.
Cat Mando
“I’ve been to Philly before. I know Philly fans, met several.”
Wow, that’s some solid logic there Mack. /s
lefty58
Solidifying the reasons people don’t want to play in Philly to begin with, there’s some good thinkin’.
bradthebluefish
I’d rather be in LA. Beautiful city if you’ve got the money. Big media market too so Bryce could always make even more money like with his T-Mobile commercials.
Balk
So he couldn’t make big money with a big market team like the Giants or Philadelphia with his commercials? Posey does great with Toyota.
tbull29
Bryce wants to be a Giant. He basically foreshadowed it a year or so ago on Instagram when the Nationals were in SF playing. He posted a pic of the SF view from his hotel saying it is his favorite city to visit. When he did that I knew if the the Giants made it possible he would go there. Sorry philly.
raef715
there is a difference between liking to visit somewhere, and wanting to live/work there.
Jimcarlo Slaton
Not sure I trust a guy like Steve Phillips for anything but he’s saying Dodgers are now offering 10/330.. But they did miss out on Arenado, assuming he was someone they would have gone after next year.
bigrickdeemann
Maybe he goes to the Giants. But they are light years away from doing anything at all and one of the worst teams in Baseball right now. It’s about now and not the past, But maybe it’s only about location. that will solve his wanting to be close to home and Boras getting the 10 year deal so he can say he is the best agent in the world. He will be frustrated in SF for awhile and his attitude will be in question.
jbird669
JFC just pick someone already!
Cat Mando
Phillies should have spent their money on Manny.
washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/28/ignore-scott-…
petfoodfella
Copy & paste please. I’m not paying Wash PO
frankf
So it looks like it’s down to the Phillies and Giants. But here’s my thing: are either of those organizations currently strong enough that Bryce Harper makes them good enough to put them over the top? And are their pockets deep enough that they can build enough around him to put them there? Because this isn’t the NBA, where a single superstar can instantly reverse the fortunes of a mediocre team. But that’s just my 2 cents. Keep the change.
crow's nest
Manny is a thug – something I’ve been saying since well before the bat-throwing incident a few years ago.. I would want him nowhere near my team, I don’t care what he hits, how he fields, what he says.
Bryce to the Giants? He’s a scary hitter, but I can see spending that money. I wish S.F. had gone more seriously for Christian Yelich last year. Yelich makes more of a difference in the field as well. I was hoping hard for that, but it didn’t happen.
crow's nest
“can’t see spending” was meant.
Hondo_Lane
The Giants best philosophy is to focus on pitching dominance in that cavernous heavy air ballpark of theirs.
Then Win 60 games at home and 40 on the road and put those doodger losers in their place.