By the end of last week, it seemed that just three teams were still looking to bag free agent Bryce Harper: the Philadelphia Phillies, the San Francisco Giants, and the San Diego Padres.
Over the weekend, Phillies owner John Middleton’s plane was spotted in Las Vegas, Harper’s hometown, presumably to see what it would take for him to seal the deal with the 26-year-old. But since then it seems more options have landed on Harper’s coffee table as the Los Angeles Dodgers suddenly came forward.
While Middleton was in Las Vegas, Dodgers officials, including manager Dave Roberts, also made an appearance in Nevada to meet with Harper.
The Dodgers are eagerly hoping they will be able to convince Harper to join them in Los Angeles, but there are a number of issues that will likely make Harper knock that offer off the table quite quick, Sports Illustrated reported.
Harper has already turned down a number of $300 million deals already and appears to have made it clear that he is on the hunt for a long-term deal that will break records in baseball. Unfortunately, it seems the Dodgers won’t be able to offer him that.
Aside from the lack of budget the Dodgers have to spend on him that The Inquisitr previously reported, the Los Angeles-based side is only in the mix with a short-term contract offer, similar to one they have just signed with center fielder A.J. Pollock for four years.
Dodgers “back in the mix” for Bryce Harper, were seen in Las Vegas Sunday, per @JesseSanchezMLB pic.twitter.com/NHb7bEfYDz
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) February 25, 2019
The Dodgers have space in the side for Harper after trading both outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp during the offseason.
One potential advantage for Harper if he does move to Los Angeles is the fact that his home ground will be much closer to his home town than the other rumored frontrunner in the form of the Phillies. The distance between the Pennsylvania city and Las Vegas was cited last week as a reason why Harper was hesitating to sign with the Phillies.
There’s less than a month to go before the regular Major League Baseball season kicks off, and Harper is hoping to pen a deal officially by the end of this week.
Late last week, Harper’s former team the Washington Nationals publicly announced they weren’t vying for Harper anymore, after having their $300 million deal rejected by him late in 2018. The Chicago White Sox also announced they weren’t looking to sign the outfielder. The Padres, who dropped $300 million on a deal with fellow free agent Manny Machado last week, are still apparently in the mix.