At last, there is a light at the end of the tunnel in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes.
In a report that made the rounds Saturday morning, Chris Russell of 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. reported that the slugger had come to a decision on which team he would sign with, and was “in the mood to celebrate.”
Russell reported that the San Francisco Giants seemed to be the team most likely to land the 26-year-old. But that contradicts a report from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, who says the Philadelphia Phillies are viewed as the clear favorite for Harper, followed by the Washington Nationals. Bowden says sources have told him Harper is nearing a long-term deal, and that he will not sign the short-term deal he reportedly was offered by the Giants.
“I keep hearing there’s a lot of momentum and traction here on (Harper) going and signing with the Philadelphia Phillies,” Bowden said. “He could be rounding third and heading home shortly. They are pretty well down the process. …
“Every indication I get is that he going to get at least 10 years and he is going to get more than $300 million dollars. That has not changed.”
This year’s free agency process has been as drawn out as ever, with multiple valuable players remaining on the open market with teams not willing to dish out long-term, big-money deals for veterans. But it appears that Harper might end up getting exactly what he sought out for at the beginning of the offseason, even if it took a little longer than he (and we) would have liked.
