Adrian Fedkiw
Bob Nightengale has been banging the Bryce Harper to the Philadelphia Phillies drum from the start.
And now, we could finally be nearing a conclusion after months of action-packed drama.
The USA Today baseball columnist reported Sunday that Harper has finally found the team that has met his price and according to Nightengale, that team is the Phillies.
Bryce Harper, who has been waiting for someone to meet his price, appears to have found that team in the #Phillies. There is no deal yet but he will ultimately receive more than the 10-year, $300 million contract he turned down from the #Nats in September.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 17, 2019
The news comes on the heels of Jim Bowden’s report Saturday when he stated that the Phillies remained the favorites for Harper and that the 26-year-old “could be rounding third and heading to home shortly” regarding a contract with the club.
"I keep hearing there's a lot of momentum and traction here on [Bryce Harper] going and signing with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He could be rounding third and heading home shortly."
–@JimBowdenGM says Bryce Harper could be making his announcement very soon. pic.twitter.com/WxIFU275Zr
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) February 16, 2019
Bowden also talked earlier in the week about how Harper wasn’t interested in the short-term deals that the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres offered.
“If I had to pick a favorite for Bryce Harper, at this particular minute, I probably would stay with the Philadelphia Phillies.”@JimBowdenGM believes the Phillies – not the San Francisco Giants – are in the best position to sign Harper. pic.twitter.com/6ELUMFuntp
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) February 12, 2019
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman isn’t as confident as Nightengale and Bowden that Harper is going to Philly, but he still views the Phillies as the favorites. He’s also reporting that the market for Harper is “evolving,” but that also could be a Scott Boras play to attempt and increase Harper’s market again.
As things intensify, Bryce Harper has multiple long-term offers for more than 30M a year. Philly is viewed as the favorite, as said here, but it is also said to an “evolving” market.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 18, 2019
Let’s finally get this done, come on home Bryce!
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