The nightmare scenario of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper both landing with Mets rivals in the NL East is not happening. But one of them will be there, with Bryce Harper heading to the Phillies. Here's the latest...
Feb. 28, 2:51 PM:
Harper has agreed to sign with the Phillies, reports Jon Heyman of FanCred. The deal will be worth $330 million for 13 years, will include a no-trade clause, and will not contain any opt-outs, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The deal is the largest in the history of North American sports, eclipsing the 13-year $325 million extension Giancarlo Stanton signed with the Marlins.
Feb. 28, 10:46 AM:
The Phillies are still engaged in talks with Harper, but as of late Wednesday night the sides were still "significantly" apart on dollars, reports SNY's Andy Martino, who adds that Harper would like to beat the record deal that was given to Giancarlo Stanton when he signed his extension with the Marlins for $325 million.
All teams involved in negotiations at this point (reportedly the Phillies, Giants, and Dodgers) have discussed deals of at least 10 years, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Giants and Phillies have both offered 10-year deals, while the Dodgers' offical offer at this point is shorter.
Feb. 27, 1:20 PM:
According to SiriusXM analyst and former Mets GM Steve Phillips, the Phillies believe their chances at reeling in Harper are "remote."
Meanwhile, the Giants have discussed a 10-year deal with Harper, reports Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports.
SNY's Andy Martino reported last week that Harper was unsure if he wants to play in Philadelphia.
Feb. 27, 12:52 PM:
The San Francisco Giants met with Harper and agent Scott Boras in Las Vegas on Tuesday, per The Mercury News. It was the second time they have met with Harper's camp this month.
Feb. 26, 2:24 PM:
Some Phillies officals have "grown concerned" that Harper will sign with the Dodgers if their offer is close to what the Phillies have offered, reports Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.
Feb. 26, 8:56 AM:
While the Phillies have offered Harper a deal worth at least $300 million, other teams have also offered at least that much, reports FanCred's Jon Heyman, who adds that in order to even get a recent meeting with Harper, interested teams were told they had to be willing to offer a long-term deal.
Feb. 25, 2:57 PM:
Harper is expected to make a decision on where to sign by the end of this week, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today, citing two unnamed team executives.
Feb. 25, 10:57 AM:
The Dodgers' interst in Harper is on a short-term deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who adds that other teams could jump in if Harper is open to a shorter-term deal.
Meanwhile, the Phillies are the only team talking to Harper about a "true" long-term deal, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Feb. 25, 8:26 AM:
Dodgers brass, including manager Dave Roberts, met with Harper's camp in Las Vegas on Sunday, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. The Dodgers, who were connected to Harper earlier this offseason, re-engaged with Harper's camp two weeks ago, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo!, who adds that the question now is whether the Dodgers are prepared to offer more than a short-term deal.
Either way, this can't be viewed as good news to the Phillies, who have reportedly been working hard to finalize a deal with Harper, whose desire to play in Philadelphia has been questioned.
Feb. 24, 10:26 AM:
The Phillies "remain confident they are going to sign Harper," reports ESPN's Buster Olney, though Olney cites sources who says Harper and the Phillies are "nearing a crossroads" in their talks. Olney adds that a resolution could come by Tuesday.
Feb. 23, 9:36 PM:
In addition to the Phillies, another team supposedly was in Las Vegas talking to Harper on Saturday, per Fancred Sports' Jon Heyman, who reports more teams are expected to follow. Heyman added that in addition to the Phillies, the Giants, Padres, Nationals, and perhaps one more team are stil in on Harper, whose asking price Heyman adds could be $350 million.
Eartier Saturday, Phillies owner John Middleton left Vegas, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury Sailsbury says talks are continuing, but USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale reported the Phillies being in "deep and serious negotiations" with the All-Star, noting that he didn't want to leave Las Vegas without a deal getting done.
Feb. 22, 9:52 PM:
Phillies owner John Middleton took his private plane to Las Vegas to meet with Harper, per multiple reports, but according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the two sides are not expected to agree to a deal Friday night.
SNY's Andy Martino reported earlier this week that Harper is unsure if he wants to play in Philadelphia.
Feb. 22, 10:13 AM:
Washington Nationals owner Marc Lerner essentially removed his team from the Bryce Harper sweepstakes on Friday.
Lerner told NBC Sports Washington that they have "moved on."
"Nothing's changed on our end," he said. "We've moved on. As I said back then and we had to. There was no way we could wait around. Bryce, I'm sure will make his decision hopefully in the next few days, but we've filled out our roster and like I said, we wish him nothing but the best."
The Nationals offered Harper a 10-year, $300 million contract at the start of free agency, which he declined. Lerner, however, would not completely shut the door on Harper.
"But there's always that, the door's cracked a little bit," he said. "I have no clue at this point what they're up to. We really haven't heard from them in a couple months."
Feb. 21, 5:58 PM:
The White Sox are apparently pulling out of the Harper sweepstakes as 670 The Score in Chicago reports that the club won't make a bid for the star outfielder. Chicago failed in its pursuit of Manny Machado and it appears it is not willing to splash a huge amount of cash for Harper.
This makes it much more likely that Harper remains in the National League.
Feb. 21, 12:04 PM:
Harper rejected a $300 million dollar deal (with close to $100 million in deferrals) from the Nationals during the season, but GM Mike Rizzo said earlier this week that he wasn't ruling out bringing Harper back.
So are the Nats in or out?
Todd Zolecki of MLB.com cited sources who say the Nats have "no plans" to make a Machado-sized offer to Harper, while Jeff Passan of Yahoo! says to not rule the Nats out until Harper agrees to sign elsewhere.
The belief all offseason has been that the Nats will only bring back Harper if their ownership overrules the recommendation of the baseball department -- something Jon Morosi of Fox Sports recently reported was possible.
Feb. 20, 3:40 PM:
Harper has recently turned down multiple offers worth over $300 million, reports Jon Heyman of FanCred.
Feb. 20, 12:44 PM:
The Giants have a serious shot to sign Harper, SNY's Andy Martino reported, saying there is a continued sense that they have a legitimate chance, with the Phillies having a tough road to get it done.
Feb. 19, 1:11 PM:
Although the Phillies' pursuit of Harper is serious, "word around Harper is that he remains unsure if he wants to play in Philadelphia," reports SNY's Andy Martino, who says the Phillies must convince him to sign there if they want to "save face."
Martino adds that Harper's inconsistency and defensive decline has scared off many suitors, including the Yankees.
Meanwhile, Phillies GM Matt Klentak was scared off by the $300 million contract Manny Machado -- another Phillies target -- got from the Padres.
"If the reports are true, this contract will exceed our valuation," he said, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. "Sometimes you have to walk away."