Nationals Out, Giants vs. Phillies For Bryce Harper, Decision This Week: Report

The Bryce Harper sweepstakes have gathered pace in recent days after the emergence of the San Francisco Giants as a potential contender for the right-fielder's services. Reports are now claiming a decision would be forthcoming from Harper this week after having met with all his suitors.

The Giants met with Harper at his hometown, Las Vegas, last week and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi admitted it was a positive meeting and made it clear they were serious pursuers of the player. The Philadelphia Phillies were the favorites to land the six-time All-Star after their meeting in January, at least in part because they have the most financial flexibility among the chasing pack. They have now been upstaged by the Giants with oddsmakers now putting the San Francisco franchise on top of the list.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Sunday the Giants were preparing a lucrative short-term offer for Harper while claiming the team had no intention of meeting his demands of a long-term deal for over $300 million.

On Monday, Nightengale went a step further and revealed the details of the potential deal on the table for Harper, while also claiming it was now a two-horse race for the right-fielder's signature. The Washington Nationals, who were the only team to have made an offer close to the player’s demands – a 10-year $300 million offer – were said to be out of the running after they were rejected by their former player.

“The Giants don’t want to give a 10-year contract,” Nightengale told 680 KNBR 1050. “Nobody does, but the Giants certainly don’t want to. You’re not going to saddle a brand new executive in Farhan Zaidi and say ‘here you’ve got a $300 million contract on the books, you can’t do much with it otherwise.’”

“What their game plan is is they’ll probably offer a 5-6 year deal at good money. Probably $30 million a year or so, or probably more even, to try to get him. And say, ‘you know what, do you want a short-term contract to come to San Francisco, or do you want a long-term contract and go to Philadelphia'.”

“They are definitely out of it,” Nightengale added, talking about the Nationals when asked about the teams in the running to land Harper. “Right now I really do think it’s the Giants and the Phillies. It’s a two-team race here.”

And the MLB expert believes the main draw to join the Giants for Harper is the proximity between his potential new employers and his hometown of Las Vegas. And the fact that Oracle Park has an electric buzz for every game with attendances consistently around the 40,000 mark for every game.

Meanwhile, Chris Russell of 106.7 The Fan believes the long drawn saga involving the Harper free agency could be nearing a conclusion with him claiming the right-fielder will make his decision by Thursday this week.

There are no more meetings planned with any other franchise, and with all the offers on the table, there are said to be 3 to 4 contenders for his signature and according to Russell, the Nationals are still in with a chance as they will be given a chance to match the best offer on the table.​