The San Francisco Giants have suddenly emerged as one of the favorites to sign Bryce Harper, but the star outfielder may have to accept a somewhat untraditional free agent contract if he wants to play in the Bay Area.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Giants have no intention of offering Harper a contract in the neighborhood of the 10-year, $300 million deal he has been seeking. However, they do plan to offer the 26-year-old a “lucrative short-term deal,” which likely means it would have a higher average annual value than some of the offers other teams have made or discussed with Harper.
The Giants clearly have money they are willing to spend. They agreed to a trade last year that would have seen them acquire Giancarlo Stanton and the $265 million remaining on his contract, and they have only spent $9 million in free agency this winter. They desperately need a power hitter in the middle of their lineup, and Harper would provide that.
Ultimately, whether or not Harper ends up in San Francisco will come down to how much he prefers the Giants over other teams. It seems unlikely that they are going to make the highest offer in terms of total dollar amount, but there could be something to the talk of Harper wanting to play in San Francisco. Perhaps he’ll be willing to sign a shorter deal that will allow him to hit free agency again in the prime of his career.
