The Philadelphia Phillies are suddenly no longer viewed as the favorite to sign Bryce Harper, and that could be because there are other teams offering the star outfielder more money.
While there was a time when it seemed like Harper was on the verge of signing with the Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have re-entered the talks in a big way. In fact, Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio reports that the Phillies have offered Harper no more than $300 million and do not currently have the highest offer on the table for him.
"They have a feeling that they're not as likely to get him."@Jim_Duquette reports that the #Phillies do not have the biggest offer on the table to Bryce Harper, corroborates @StevePhillipsGM's report that the team sees its chances as "remote": pic.twitter.com/vk8po7F1pF
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) February 28, 2019
There are two lines of thinking with the way the Harper ordeal is unfolding — either he and Scott Boras are trying desperately to get the Phillies to up their offer, or the rumblings about Harper not wanting to play in Philly are true. If the Phillies haven’t topped $300 million with their offer, the former could be the bigger issue.
The Dodgers are reportedly more interested in signing Harper to a short-term deal with a higher average annual salary, but the Giants may be emerging as an even bigger threat. None of that is good news for the Phillies.
