Perhaps more than ever throughout this entire process, this past weekend it really felt the Phillies and Bryce Harper were coming close to finalizing deal. Perhaps they still will.
As a new week begins, however, a new team has apparently entered the race for Harper -- the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A source has told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that the Dodgers are back in play for free-agent superstar Bryce Harper, and that club officials including manager Dave Roberts were seen in Harper's hometown of Las Vegas on Sunday. The development throws another twist into the chase for Harper, which had appeared to be down to the Phillies, Giants, White Sox and Nationals, though Philadelphia had appeared to be the heavy favorite to sign the outfielder.
Although the Dodgers might now be trying to steal Harper away from the Phillies at the last minute, the belief is that they are only willing to do a short-term deal for Harper, and might not match the long one the Phillies have reportedly offered.
If the Dodgers get serious about Harper, it almost certainly would be on a VERY short-term deal, in keeping with their operating philosophy. Phillies, on the other hand, prepared to do a monster, long-term contract.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 25, 2019If the Dodgers are indeed now in the picture, and Harper's camp is considering signing with them, it would certainly be a surprise development considering how things appeared to be trending this past weekend.
After Phillies owner John Middleton took his private jet out to Las Vegas to meet with Harper, the two sides appeared to be close to a deal, with multiple reports stating an agreement could be reached by either Monday or Tuesday of this week. It was believed that the Phillies were going to land Harper on a long-term, mega-contract that would break records not only in baseball, but in any professional sports.
That very well could still happen. Perhaps the Dodgers are being used as a last-second bargaining chip by Harper's agent Scott Boras. Or, after months of trying to land Harper, perhaps he is going to be stolen away from the team at the last second.
Either way, it does appear that Harper might finally be close to making a decision -- and it might come down to between the Phillies and the Dodgers.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
