Bryce Harper Rumors: Nationals, Phillies Now Favorite, Giants Outsiders

Catchers and pitchers have begun to report for spring training but as predicted, Bryce Harper continues to remain a free agent, with the in-demand outfielder yet to make a decision on his future despite meeting with numerous franchises over the winter.

The San Francisco Giants are the latest team to enter the race for Harper, having met him in his hometown, Las Vegas, at the end of January and were for a short while installed as the favorites to land him ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been leading the race since their meeting with the player and his agent early January.

Apart from the Giants and Phillies, the Chicago White Sox, Harper’s former team Washington Nationals for whom he played for between 2012 and 2018, and the San Diego Padres are also keen admirers and have made proposals after meeting with the right-fielder.

The Harper saga could drag on well into March as the outfielder was not seemingly in a hurry to make a decision. According to MLB insider Mark Feinsand, there is now a certain pecking order in the race for Harper, and the Giants, considered favorites for a short while, were now outsiders as they were only willing to offer a short-term deal.

The 26-year-old outfielder was said to be against short-term deals and was keen to stick to his initial demand — a long-term deal worth over $300 million. This has seen the Giants drop down the pecking order and join the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees as “long shots”.

The White Sox and Padres, according to Feinsand, remain, contenders, as they have the financial flexibility to at least come close to the player’s demands. But the former is said to be more fixated on Manny Machado – the other in-demand free agent in baseball this offseason.

The Phillies, however, remain the absolute front-runners in the Harper race as they have the financial capability to outbid any other team. They were said to be ready to fight until the end to land either Harper or Machado, but it was unclear if either player was keen on moving to Philadelphia, with initial reports saying they prefer other cities.

The Nationals, meanwhile, were recently pegged as being out of the race for their former player after he reportedly rejected their initial offer of $300 million over 10 years. But the MLB insider claimed they have always been in the race despite focusing their attention elsewhere during the winter and strengthening other areas.

Many people in the industry believe Harper could end up with his former employers, with a report claiming the outfielder’s agent Scott Boras would give the Nationals the opportunity to try and match any offer Harper gets in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester admitted it was a “sad time” when two generational talents such as Harper and Machado remain part of around 100 unsigned players this winter. He could not believe players of the duo’s caliber were currently sitting at home while the catchers and pitchers report for spring training.

“We got two of the greatest superstars in the game, faces of baseball that don’t have teams, and we’re starting spring training,” Lester said Wednesday, as quoted on the Chicago Tribune. “It sucks on our end. Something has to give. We got to figure out what’s actually going on with this stuff and get these guys who had pretty good years sitting at home right now. We got to figure out what’s going on right now.”