Boras spotted in Houston airport.....Harper??!!! Signed with Phils.

Lets see if that still holds a month from now.

 

Do you think the Altuve deal is impacting Crane's decisions currently? Do you think picking up Verlander's deal impact his decision making going into last year?

I don't really care if the Astros sign him or not... but they are basically close to being a complete team, and if the owner feels a certain player benefits this team over the next 5-7 years, and happens to require a large salary to do so, I'm not going to overly criticize him (provided he doesn't strip down the minor league scouting system, or start refusing to pay slot money for draft picks, etc.).

 

If that 10/300 offer from WAS is still on the table Harper should take it. Being 26 year old free agent is a lot different than being a 27 year old free agent.

 

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see him sit out the season.

 

I would be utterly shocked to see Bryce Harper sit out his age 26 season and give up $40M+ for nothing.

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/astros-gm-jeff-lunhow-says-172637430.html

"For Harper, the Nationals would have obtained right-hander J.B. Bukauskas, the Astros’ No. 8 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, and two other minor leaguers, sources said. Catcher Garrett Stubbs, the team’s No. 15 prospect, was in play, and the Nationals would have received another, low-level, minor-league pitcher as well."

 

I'm sorry, but the Nats GM should be fired for turning that down (provided that ownership didn't tell him to turn it down)

 

Ownership blocked it.

"The Astros had a trade in place for Harper on July 30, but the deal collapsed when Washington Nationals ownership refused to approve the move, according to major-league sources."

 

IIRC, at that moment, they were still within a reasonable distance of the Wild Card spot and the NL East. With the talent that team had, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that they could make a run. Plus, they really seemed to think it was a foregone conclusion he was going to stay.

Whether he would have been the difference against the Sox is debatable. But I would've liked to see if he would've been the missing piece...and to have had the inside opportunity to sign him.

 

Let’s say the deal was Bukauskas, Stubbs, and RHP Cristian Javier. It would have been a fair deal, but I don’t think it’s malpractice that they didn’t accept it. The comp pick they will get (if they draft well) would be worth almost as much as JBB, and trading Harper would have all but eliminated any chance of resigning him, not to mention they weren’t 100% out of the hunt. I just don’t see much value in Stubbs or Javier.

 

https://thefandc.radio.com/articles/chris-russell-bryce-harper-has-made-his-decision

Chris Russell of 106.7 The Fan speculates that Bryce Harper may have already decided which team he will play for this year.
The never-ending Bryce Harper free agency saga continues with a couple of fresh rumors out of Philadelphia. Russell reported that his source indicated Harper had been huddled with his agent Scott Boras all week and emerged Friday in a mood to celebrate, presumably because his decision had been made. Russell is a talk show host in Washington, D.C. but was on the air with a Philadelphia radio station when he disclosed his information. Later in the day Bryce Harper commented "suhhhhh kiiiiiiid" on an Instagram post by the Phillies' Rhys Hoskins regarding the start of Phillies' spring training, leading some to speculate that Harper would soon be there too. The Phillies are a top contender for Harper's services, along with the Nationals, White Sox, Padres and Giants.​

Spoiler

 

If Harper truly has multiple $30+ million offers on the table, shouldn’t the players be complaining about Harper holding things up rather than complaining about the owners?

 

I think some combination of several things are going on here.

1) Some early posturing on both sides
2) The players will stand behind the players.
3) I dont really believe he has several offers of this type on the table. Even 1?
4) Players just like complaining, particularly about owners.

 

It would have been fun as as hell to watch...Beltran type stuff.

 

Wonder how much Bryce will get

 

This seems to be exactly the case

I believed all the reports that huge offers weren’t there but I was wrong

All the “lesser” free agents should aim their anger more at the top guys and the system, not the owners

 

Padres are saving the face of baseball. Go figure, gets paid 300 million to live in San Diego. What a life.