After a seven-season tenure with the Nationals that included a National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2012, an NL MVP Award in 2015 and six All-Star nods, Bryce Harper is now a free agent for the first time.
Below you will find a list of the latest news and rumors surrounding the outfielder.
Report: Giants prefer short-term deal for Harper
Feb. 10: The Giants have emerged as a serious contender for Bryce Harper in the past week, but USA Today's Bob Nightengale writes that the club has "no desire" to make Harper an offer approaching the 10-year, $300 million deal he reportedly rejected from the Nationals in September. Rather, San Francisco plans to make Harper a lucrative short-term offer.
Of course, as Nightengale notes, ownership was willing to take on $265 million of Giancarlo Stanton's contract last offseason if it acquired him from the Marlins, so it's possible the Giants will be open to investing that type of money in Harper as well.
Harper was a popular topic during the Giants' annual FanFest at Oracle Park on Saturday. The club's CEO, Larry Baer, declined to make any predictions about where Harper will land, but did say the meeting Giants executives had with him earlier this week in Las Vegas went well and lasted four hours, longer than either side expected. Baer also said the Giants are "giving it a shot."
According to NBC Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic, Harper spoke of his admiration of catcher Buster Posey during the meeting, and "there has been an increased sense among some in the clubhouse that Harper prefers the Giants."
The Giants, along with the Dodgers and Padres, are among the clubs closest to Harper's home in Las Vegas. A move to sign Harper wouldn't be unprecedented for the franchise; San Francisco plucked a 28-year-old Barry Bonds off the market in late 1992 with a six-year, $44 million contract that was, at that time, the largest in baseball history. The following season, the club won 103 games.
"There is obviously mutual interest on both sides," Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said Friday. "We thought it made sense to get together. We had a good conversation over a few hours. He's obviously got a lot of suitors and a lot of interest. He's going to have some decisions to make. I think it's fair to say that was an expression of our interest level, to make the trip out there to meet with him. You don't make a trip out there to meet with a player just for show."
Zaidi, though, wouldn't go as far as saying whether the team has made a formal offer to Harper.
Video: MLB Tonight on Harper's meeting with the Giants
What would an Arenado extension mean for Harper?
Feb. 9: The Rockies are optimistic they will be able to sign their superstar third baseman, Nolan Arenado, to a contract extension soon, as club owner Dick Monfort told MLB.com's Thomas Harding last week. If Colorado is able to secure Arenado for the long term, how might that impact two superstars still on the free-agent market in Bryce Harper and Manny Machado?
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand writes that Arenado's extension could set a new average annual value record for position players, and if it does, Harper and Machado could benefit.
"It depends on the numbers, but I would expect the agents to fight to be above [Arenado's deal]," one AL general manager told Feinsand.
Beyond the AAV, the length of a potential Arenado extension, which could keep the 27-year-old in Denver through his mid-30s, could be a boon for Harper and Machado as well, as they seek deals that would exceed 10 years and $300 million.
Feinsand also delves into how an Arenado extension would impact this summer's trade market, as well as next offseason's free-agent market. More >
Harper faces "staring contest" ahead of Spring Training
Feb. 8: The sweepstakes for what was touted to be one of the biggest free-agent classes in history remains at a standstill just days before clubs report to Spring Training. And the root of the impasse, for Bryce Harper (and Manny Machado) at least, seems to be easy to decipher: dollars.
In a Friday piece for The Athletic (subscription required), MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal outlined the many factors as to why both players remain unsigned with roughly seven weeks left until Opening Day. Rosenthal reports that both are still seeking a deal in excess of $300 million, and given their limited pool of suitors, that figure could remain difficult to attain.
Rosenthal adds that "neither wants to sign first, knowing once one of the players goes off the board, the other will benefit from gaining the sole attention of the remaining suitors" and that "the clubs, too, prefer to stall."
The Phillies and White Sox have been the clubs most prominently linked to both players, and though the Padres emerged as an interested party in each last week, San Diego may have just been doing its due diligence late in the offseason.
Rosenthal writes that Philly has conviction that it will land one or the other, with the financial bandwidth capable of topping any offer either player might otherwise receive. And White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Rosenthal adds, would prefer to wait out to the market to glean a firm gauge on what either player will cost, then determine if he's willing to meet that figure.
Could Realmuto acquisition sway Harper to sign with Phils?
Feb. 8: If the Phillies wanted to gain even more leverage in their pursuit of Bryce Harper, trading for a player that Harper has publicly admired for years certainly couldn't hurt. The Phils continued their promising offseason by adding All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto on Thursday, which should help bolster a lineup that was already projected to win 84 games, according to PECOTA forecasts from Baseball Prospectus.
Video: IT discusses Phils getting Realmuto, eyeing Harper
It wasn't long ago that Harper publicly expressed frustration with the Nationals failing to land Realmuto ahead of last summer's non-waiver Trade Deadline. But Washington's surprisingly sustained level of disappointment prompted the club to sell instead of buy. And in a game against the Marlins three days before the Deadline, in which Realmuto drove in the winning run, Harper told reporters after: "If that guy was on our side, it wouldn't have happened."
Additionally, at the All-Star Game a few weeks prior, Harper playfully placed a Nats cap on Realmuto's head while the National League club was posing for a photo.
• Bryce Harper is a big fan of new Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto
So, while Harper's decision will likely come down to dollars more than anything, it can't hurt the Phils' chances that they acquired an All-Star talent that Harper has made it clear he's a fan of.
How Realmuto to Philly could affect Harper
Feb. 7: While the Phillies continue to pursue free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, the club made another big move to bolster its roster Thursday, acquiring catcher J.T. Realmuto from the Marlins in a four-player deal. With the ambitious team looking to propel its way to contention, adding the game's top backstop could affect its leverage with not just Harper, but also Machado.
As MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal points out, the determining factor for Harper and Machado will likely still be dollars.
Tweet from @Ken_Rosenthal: #Phillies view Realmuto, if acquired, as another potential enticement for Harper or Machado. Obviously, the biggest enticement will be money. https://t.co/N2R1wgL29U
But adding to an already strong positional nucleus -- Realmuto will join shortstop Jean Segura, left fielder Andrew McCutchen and closer David Robertson as Philly's prized offseason acquisitions (so far) -- certainly doesn't hurt Philadelphia's chances.
It's unclear what the Phillies have offered to both Harper and Machado, but multiple reports have shared that Harper turned down a 10-year, $300 million offer from the Nats at the end of the regular season, and Machado turned down a seven-year, $175 million deal from the White Sox recently.
It's believed that, because their markets haven't gained much traction, the Phils are playing a waiting game of sorts while holding most of the leverage.
Although adding Realmuto makes the team's need for Harper or Machado less acute, it doesn't sound as though Philadelphia is backing out of the race for either player.
"This doesn't take us out of the free-agent market by any stretch," general manager Matt Klentak said Thursday, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Tweet from @BNightengale: Philadelphia #Phillies GM Matt Klentak, when asked if the JT Realmuto acquisition will have any impact on a certain couple of free agents: "This doesn���t take us out of the free-agent market by any stretch.'' #Harper #Machado
Meanwhile, MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi reports that according to an official with one of the teams pursuing Harper, the superstar's decision does not appear to be imminent. Further, Morosi notes that according to a source familiar with the Nationals' thinking, Washington may be wary of losing Harper to the Phillies, in particular, given that the two are National League East rivals. That may cause the Nats to up their bid for Harper in the event he is close to signing with Philadelphia.
On Thursday, Baseball Prospectus released its 2019 PECOTA projections and forecasted that the Phils would win 84 games, tied with the Braves for third in the National League East behind the Mets and Nationals, who are each projected to win 89 games. But those forecasts did not include the acquisition of Realmuto, who is projected to be worth 3.8 Wins Above Replacement, according to Steamer.
As Harper and Machado remain unsigned, Steinbrenner not ruling out another big addition
Feb. 7: Although Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier this week that he thought the team's roster was set for 2019, managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner is leaving the door open for another big acquisition.
"I don't think it's ever done," Steinbrenner said Thursday, according to Newsday. "Look, if somebody comes -- I haven't changed -- I mean if somebody comes to me with a suggestion or a proposal, I'm going to seriously consider it right up until Opening Day or after. That's part of my leave-no-stone-unturned [policy], right? But I'm excited about the roster. I think we've definitely got a better club Opening Day than we did Opening Day last year, particularly in pitching, which was my biggest area of concern."
The Yankees have had a busy offseason, adding James Paxton, Adam Ottavino, Troy Tulowitzki and DJ LeMahieu and re-signing CC Sabathia, J.A. Happ and Zack Britton.
But as long as superstars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain available, the deep-pocketed Yanks will continue to loom as a potential suitor, no matter how unlikely that seems right now.
"Fans should keep an open mind that I'm never done until I'm done, and that's not usually until Opening Day," Steinbrenner said. "Proposals come to me every day with these guys, between the analytics guys and the pro scouting guys, and I'm going to consider every single one of them. But I have to look at the big picture and it is my responsibility that my family expects and my partners expect not just to look at the present, but to look at the future, too. Three, four, five years from now, we've got a lot of homegrown kids that we love, our fans love, that are going to be coming up for free agency and that's something I've got to keep in mind as well."
The Yanks have been more closely connected to Machado this offseason, meeting with him in December. Meanwhile, general manager Brian Cashman did his part to quash any speculation that the Yanks were secretly in on Harper, noting that the club already has a glut of outfielders.
If there's still any chance that Harper could become a Yankee, Aaron Judge is willing to do what it takes to make that possibility a reality. Judge told TMZ Sports on Monday that he would consider moving to center field to clear a spot for Harper, if that was indeed something that could put New York over the top in the Harper sweepstakes.
"Wherever he wants to play, we'll make it work," Judge said. "Anytime you can add an MVP to a team, it's going to make it better."
Tweet from @MLB: Is the outfield at Yankee Stadium big enough? https://t.co/djpnbm1PnR pic.twitter.com/Z4ImkOebr5
Giants reportedly met with Harper
Feb. 6: The Giants have had a quiet offseason since bringing in former A's and Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi to be their new president of baseball operations. Are things about to get a bit louder in the Bay Area? Like, Bryce Harper-level loud?
"Another club is vying for Harper," writes Randy Miller of NJ.com in a wide-ranging rundown of the latest rumors. "The San Francisco Giants are now in the mix and are expected to meet with the former MVP this week."
In fact, it's already happened. The Giants recently visited with Harper, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, who follows up to say that the club's level of interest is "not known, but they did try hard for [Giancarlo] Stanton last winter."
Tweet from @JonHeyman: The #SFGiants recently met with Bryce Harper. Extent of interest on team���s part not known, but they did try hard for Stanton last winter. Multiple new teams emerged in last week or two
Among San Francisco's decision-makers believed to have attended the meeting? President and CEO Larry Baer, Zaidi and longtime manager Bruce Bochy, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Tweet from @PavlovicNBCS: Per source, Giants met with Bryce Harper this week. It's believed meeting included Larry Baer, Farhan Zaidi and Bruce Bochy.
Hmmmmm. This certainly is an interesting and somewhat unexpected turn of events, given that the Giants' biggest moves so far have been bringing back Derek Holland and signing fellow lefty Drew Pomeranz to provide some rotation depth. It also would seem to go against Zaidi's conventional approach, which has been to build from within rather than splurge on big-name free agents.
Then again, the Giants have a massive need in their outfield, as the five players in the mix at the moment are: Steven Duggar, Chris Shaw, Mac Williamson, Austin Slater and Drew Ferguson. Among those, Williamson's 120 career games played in the Major Leagues are the most.
Harper also would bring some buzz back to the Bay Area, considering San Francisco has struggled the past two seasons, with just 73 wins in 2018 and 64 in '17. There's also a comparison to be made here to another lefty hitting corner outfield star in Barry Bonds, who signed with the Giants back in 1992 at a time when they badly needed a boost, as ESPN's Buster Olney wrote (subscription required) earlier in the offseason.
Meeting with the Giants is one thing. It can't hurt to hear their pitch, and they have the financial resources to present a compelling offer -- not to mention fellow stars in Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner. Plus, Harper may prefer to stay closer to his Las Vegas hometown if that's an option, as it would be in San Francisco.
But would Harper -- in the middle of what should be his prime years -- actually ink with a franchise that is coming off a pair of disappointing campaigns, features an aging core and appears to be at the very beginning stages of a rebuilding process?
Video: Giants reportedly meet with Harper in Las Vegas
Do Phillies, White Sox hold most leverage with the big two?
Feb. 6: Each passing day in which Harper and Manny Machado don't sign makes it seemingly more unlikely that they'll get the record deal they originally coveted. And ESPN's Buster Olney (subscription required) also speculates that it could give their most public suitors, the Phillies and White Sox, more and more leverage.
Olney cites the Red Sox's courtship of J.D. Martinez last year, in which the superstar hitter didn't sign until late February for a $110 million deal that was far below his original goal. Harper and Machado's agents, Scott Boras and Dan Lozano, are the only people who know the specifics of the offers extended to their clients so far, and just how many mystery teams are also in the mix. But Olney, citing interviews with those around the industry, speculates that the Phillies in particular have the most leverage because they are the only team that has expressed serious interest in both stars.
"If you're the Phillies and you don't believe you have [serious] competition for both of them, you're just sitting and waiting," one agent told Olney. "Even if one of them signs [with another team], the other guy probably needs you, at your number."
The Dodgers and Yankees have barely engaged with either star, with New York only going so far as to meet with Machado in December without extending a formal offer. The entrance of other "mystery teams," like the Padres and -- as was revealed Wednesday -- the Giants, only weakens Harper and Machado's positions, says Olney, because it signals that they haven't received an offer convincing enough to sign.
"If I'm in [Boras'] position, I'm working like crazy to make sure that doesn't [leak] out," a club official told Olney of the Padres' recent entrance to the sweepstakes, "because it smells desperate. It makes it seem like you don't have as much as you thought you would."
Teams like the Padres might be jumping in simply because they perceive they can get a bargain deal at this late juncture of the offseason, which doesn't help Harper and Machado in their quest for $250 million or more. Whatever contract those players sign will be set as the new industry standard for another crop of talented free agents -- which includes Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt if they don't sign extensions -- next offseason.
Should Harper try for one-year deal?
Feb. 4: With Spring Training getting closer and closer, is it time for Harper to change tactics?
It's getting clearer with each passing day that Harper and fellow superstar free agent Manny Machado are not receiving the type of offers they envisioned when the offseason began in November. Many of the remaining teams in the mix for both players have not contended in recent seasons, and so MLB Network Radio's Jim Bowden wonders if a new request for a massive, one-year deal could ramp the market back up.
Tweet from @MLBNetworkRadio: .@JimBowdenGM wants to know, what would be wrong with @Bharper3407 signing a one-year deal? #Nationals #Dodgers #Yankees pic.twitter.com/hbuOLoaNhM
"As long as you're not worried about getting injured in a year, what would be wrong with signing a one-year deal and going back on the market?" Bowden asked. "What would be wrong, if you're Bryce Harper, with going to the Dodgers and saying, 'OK, one year, $40 million, or one year, $35 million?' Go break the record for the most money ever paid to a player for one year and go back in free agency next year to see if it's better."
Bowden believes the same strategy could get the Yankees back to the negotiating table for Harper. "Why, if you're Harper, don't you go to [Yankees owner] Hal Steinbrenner and say, 'I'll come and be a Yankee for you at $35 million," added Bowden. "Harper's always wanted to be a Yankee."
Harper wore No. 34 because those numbers added up to Mickey Mantle's No. 7, and he's been linked to the Yankees essentially since the Nationals drafted him in 2010. In Bowden's opinion, Harper would be just fine if he re-entered the free-agent market at age 27, especially if he puts up a huge MVP-caliber season in Yankee Stadium -- a ballpark that has been historically friendly to left-handed sluggers.
"What if you gave him a year in New York where he just shows you what he can do?" Bowden asked, "and he shows you why the Nationals have won three division titles in five years, and he just goes off. I like his chances of beating what's on the table now in a year from now. I don't think it's the end of the world."
At least eight teams reportedly still checking in on Harper
Feb. 4: Although the Padres, Phillies, Nationals and White Sox were reported to be the four "active" suitors for Harper last week, it appears at least several more teams are in the mix to some extent.
Video: Eight teams checking in on Harper in free agency
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman has heard that at least eight clubs are still checking in on Harper, though Heyman considers it likely that at least two or three are thinking about a short-term deal with the outfielder.
Harper's exact contract demands are unknown, but it is widely believed that the 26-year-old is looking to make more than the record $325 million Giancarlo Stanton got from the Marlins in 2014.
Tweet from @JonHeyman: Hear at least 8 teams are still checking in on Harper, though at least a couple/few of them are likely thinking short-term
If he proves willing to accept a shorter-term contract, Harper could look to break records in a different way, pursuing the highest average annual value ever. The record currently belongs to Zack Greinke at $32 million.
Harper sends cryptic post-Super Bowl tweet; Hoskins retweets
Feb. 4: Following the end of Super Bowl LIII, a 13-3 Patriots victory over the Rams, superstar free agent Bryce Harper posted a cryptic message on Twitter, with the text simply saying "Loading ..."
Tweet from @Bharper3407: Loading...
While the tweet could mean any number of things, there will certainly be speculation as to whether the 26-year-old has made a decision about which club he will sign with. Perhaps Harper was also making a video-game reference, as the outfielder is the cover athlete on MLB The Show 19. The actual game cover won't be revealed until Harper signs.
The teams that appear to have the best chance at landing Harper are the Phillies, Nationals and White Sox, though the Padres have recently entered the pursuit as well, meeting with Harper and agent Scott Boras in Las Vegas earlier this week.
Interestingly, Philadelphia slugger Rhys Hoskins, another Boras client, put an identical caption on an Instagram post in December, and Harper's post-Super Bowl tweet was retweeted by none other than Hoskins himself.
Harper had a down year, by his standards, in 2018, slashing .249/.393/.496 with 34 home runs in 159 games. But he is one of the premier talents in the game, with an NL MVP Award and six All-Star selections to his name.
Whether his tweet means he's made his decision, or that he's ready for baseball now that the football season is over, or something else, anticipation continues to build for finding out which uniform Harper will don in '19.
