Phillies rumors surrounding Bryce Harper took a step backward.
After recent Phillies rumors suggested a deal between the club and free agent Bryce Harper could be completed as early as Monday or Tuesday, a wrench was thrown into the situation by Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to multiple baseball insiders, the Dodgers contingent, which included manager Dave Roberts, and Harper met in Las Vegas Sunday night to discuss a short-term contract.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Ramona Shelburne say that the Dodgers and Harper re-engaged in talks two weeks ago regarding a short-term deal. Their ESPN colleague Buster Olney says any deal between Harper and the Dodgers would be a “very short-term” deal.
This meeting comes on the heels of Phillies owner John Middleton meeting with the Harper camp in Vegas last week and returning to Florida empty handed.
The idea this entire winter is that Harper and his agent Scott Boras would seek the largest contract in baseball history, something the Phillies are capable of doing. A very short-term deal in Los Angeles would likely be a record average annual value deal that would allow Harper to test the market again when big-market teams like the Cubs and Yankees have more financial flexibility.
Los Angeles appeared to have taken themselves out of the Harper sweepstakes when they signed free agent A.J. Pollock to a $60 million contract on Jan. 24 after trading Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig.
There were reports that Harper doesn’t want to play in Philadelphia, but NBCS Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury contradicted that notion, saying it’s not true.
The entire Harper saga felt like it was coming to an end, leaving Phillies fans cautiously optimistic they could sign the mega-star to start a new dynasty of Phillies baseball. Now the idea of Los Angeles stealing another superstar has fans anxiously cringing.