Bryce Harper-to-the-Phillies talk is heating up but was going in different directions, according to multiple reports on Saturday.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted that Phillies owner John Middleton is still in Las Vegas with Bryce Harper negotiations and optimism now is that a 10-year deal with Bryce Harper is finalized by Monday afternoon.
Earlier in the night, there were many reports disputing Nightengale’s first tweet saying the Phillies were in “deep and serious negotions” with Harper and that Middleton didn’t want to leave Las Vegas without a deal.
John Clark of NBC 10 in Philadelphia responded to Nightengale’s original tweet, posting that Middleton’s plane is headed back East and now says he is back in Florida.
Matt Breen from Philly.com tweeted that Middleton’s private jet flew past Clearwater, Fla., and is approaching West Palm Beach, which is on the opposite coast of Florida.
Todd Zolecki, the Phillies beat writer for MLB.com, tweeted he has been told no agreement has been reached, but that it doesn’t mean Philadelphia still can’t acquire the slugger.
The big takeaway: Whether Middleton is still in Las Vegas or not, it appears the Phillies, who are considered the favorite to land Harper’s services, are inching closer to a long-term deal with Harper.
As of Friday, the Giants, Padres, White Sox and Nationals were still in the running. The Phillies also met with Harper in January.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Harper’s asking price by some of the involved teams is in the $350 million-$360 million range. The case for Harper being worth more is the fact he will bring greater star power to a team than Machado will.
On Friday, Nationals owner Mark Lerner told NBC Sports that the club has “moved on” from Harper and wished him “nothing but the best.” Nevertheless, he did not completely rule out Harper — to whom the Nationals offered a 10-year, $300 million contract before the end of the regular season — still returning to Washington.
“But there’s always that, the door’s cracked a little bit,” Lerner said.
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