The City of Brotherly Love soon may land the baseball superstar it’s anticipated for months.
New reports from different corners of the baseball world indicated Sunday that Bryce Harper could be very close to signing a long-term contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman tweeted Sunday that Harper’s negotiations had “intensified” and the Phillies remained the favorites to sign the former Washington National, just as they’d been considered for most of the offseason.
Heyman reported that Harper was still talking to other clubs, and the Phillies had not ruled out the other high-profile free agent still unsigned, Manny Machado, but “Philly-Harper is the most likely match at this point.”
If the Phillies are serious about making Harper their new franchise player, they would be one of the few teams likely willing to make him his highest offer. Harper turned down a 10-year, $300 million contract from Washington at the end of last season, perhaps figuring he could make more in free agency.
Philadelphia owner John Middleton said at the start of the offseason that the Phillies were OK with being “a little bit stupid” about spending in this year’s talent-rich free agency period.
Even before a hypothetical Harper transaction, they have done just that. They signed outfielder Andrew McCutchen in free agency and traded for shortstop Jean Segura and catcher J.T. Realmuto.
The Phillies are mainly competing with the San Francisco Giants for Harper, according to reports by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and others. The Giants entered the Harper sweepstakes in early February.
But can they even be called “sweepstakes” if there was no movement for months?
Given that Harper and Machado were two of the most talented players still in their 20s to hit the free agent market in many years, baseball analysts and observers figured they would find their new teams quickly. Instead, the MLB offseason has trudged by for the second winter in a row, and Harper and Machado were among several elite players without teams as spring trainings opened last week.
Phillies fans have dreamed of Harper joining their team for months, and in their anticipation, some whipped into a frenzy searching for clues about the progress of the negotiations.
According to flightaware.com, a website that tracks both airline and private flights, a private jet flew directly from Las Vegas to Clearwater, Florida on Sunday afternoon. Harper is based out of Las Vegas, his hometown; Clearwater is the site of the Phillies’ spring training operations.
That alone is not enough proof that Harper was aboard the flight, but it fueled speculation on social media that the outfielder was flying in to sign a contract and join his new team.
Two different Philadelphia-based sports bloggers also tweeted that the Phillies asked staff members to work Monday, a previously scheduled day off for the observance of President’s Day.
The theory goes that the team would need as many workers available if it was preparing to announce something monumental — like signing Harper.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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