Bryce Harper Rumors: Why The Los Angeles Dodgers Are Back In The Race For MLB's Top Free Agent

A surprising development in the Bryce Harper Sweepstakes occured Sunday night when it was reported that representatives from the Los Angeles Dodgers met with the outfielder in his hometown of Las Vegas. After seemingly dropping out of the race for MLB’s top free agent several weeks ago, L.A. might be a real player to sign the 26-year-old.

The Philadelphia Phillies have remained in pursuit of Harper for months, and many assumed that they would land him when Manny Machado agreed to a historic free-agent contract. The Dodgers reportedly only want to sign Harper to a short-term contract.

Why are the Dodgers back in contention to sign Harper? Here are three possible reasons:

Harper doesn’t really want to play in Philadelphia

This rumor continues to persist as Harper remains unsigned well into spring training. Philadelphia has been considered the favorite to acquire Harper for weeks, and owner John Middleton said in the fall that the organization might be “stupid” about spending money if that’s what it would take to sign a top free agent. SNY.tv’s Andy Martino has indicated that Harper has reservations about playing in Philadelphia, though sources recently told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki that speculation is “fabricated.” Multiple reports continue to indicate that the Phillies have made Harper the biggest offer, making it curious that the free agent continues to explore other options.

Harper is trying to force the Phillies to increase their offer

This might be the most logical explanation for why Harper has yet to make a decision. Agent Scott Boras’ clients don’t typically leave guaranteed money on the table, so it’s hard to believe Harper would actually turn down a 10-year offer from the Phillies in favor of a four or five-year deal from the Dodgers, even if it is at a higher AAV. Philadelphia has more money to spend than anyone, but they seem to be hoping that something less than a major record-breaking contract could get a deal done. The Phillies have been aiming to land one of this offseason’s two star free agents, and a serious play by the Dodgers could force them to meet Harper’s demands.

Other NL West teams have drawn the Dodgers back into the race

Perhaps the Dodgers are looking to prevent Harper from going to one of their division rivals, or at the very least they’re trying to drive up the price for the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. San Francisco has been viewed as a legitimate contender for Harper over the last few weeks. It’s been widely assumed that San Diego can’t make a competitive bid for Harper now that they’ve given Machado $300 million, but the Padres have met with the outfielder this offseason. San Diego has already made surprising offers to Machado and Eric Hosmer over the last 15 months, so maybe Los Angeles doesn’t want to take any chances.