Bryce Harper Rumors: Phillies Slipping In Chase For All-Star

Bryce Harper is still a free agent. Yep, we’re still in that world. Spring training is in full swing and the 26-year-old still hasn’t found a home. Here’s the latest on his situation as the sun rises on Thursday.

Dodgers now the betting favorite

The Los Angeles Dodgers are now the betting favorite to sign Harper according to Odds Shark.

The Dodgers re-entered the race late and appear to have come on strong.

Giants met with Harper in Vegas

The San Francisco Giants sent a caravan to Las Vegas to meet with Harper on Tuesday. Giants Larry Baer and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi were part of the group that went and spent time with Harper and his agent, Scott Boras. It was the franchise’s second meeting with them in a few weeks. The first time came at the beginning of February.

Phillies and Giants are in for 10 years

The Philadelphia Phillies and Giants have both offered 10-year contracts. The Dodgers are not considering that kind of contract length but most believe LA is the preferred destination for Harper.

Phillies feel on the outside looking in

The Phillies have been thought to be leading in the chase for Harper for weeks now, but now they feel like they’re on the outside looking in. Since the Dodgers got involved, Philly has been trying to seal the deal but have failed.

If the Phillies don’t get Harper, they’ll likely go after Craig Kimbrel, but not Dallas Keuchel.

The Phillies think Harper will sign with the Dodgers if they make a remotely comparable offer.

Here is the part of this post where I remind you what kind of player Harper is. He’s in the dead middle of his prime, won the NL MVP Award in 2015, is a six-time All-Star and has racked up a 30.7 fWAR over his first seven seasons. In 2018, he hit .249 with 34 home runs, 100 RBIs, an OPS of .889 and a 3.5 fWAR. And that was clearly a down year.

Harper is easily one of the best players in baseball and it’s insane that he’s still a free agent.