It doesn’t sound like we should expect to see Bryce Harper suiting up anytime soon.
The 2015 National League MVP entered free agency hoping to obtain a massive deal but he remains unsigned, as spring training begins.
A report surfaced Thursday claiming Harper and fellow star free agent Manny Machado might not find new homes until mid-March, and it appears that scoop might not be that far off.
While a number of teams reportedly are interested in Harper that doesn’t mean any deal is close, and Harper’s former teammate, Shawn Kelley, told reporters Harper’s situation is nowhere near being resolved.
Rangers pitcher Shawn Kelley on where Bryce Harper will end up: "No idea. Talked to him the other day and he said it’s actually slower than you guys think it is."
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) February 13, 2019
It really is unbelievable that two of baseball’s biggest stars still are unsigned in February. Harper and Machado’s stagnant market also has slowed the process for a number of other quality players, including Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel, who also remain unsigned as teams wait on Harper and Machado to pen new deals.
Fans might point to Harper and Machado’s contract demands as the reason they’re unemployed, but there is no other sport where two perennial All-Stars would remain unsigned with six weeks to go until the season begins.
But, as Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale pointed out Wednesday, it seems to be a culture issue where only a handful of teams actually care to spend money to try and win, and that’s a big problem for baseball.
