Bryce Harper leads the top names of this vaunted free agent class. It seems as if people have been talking about his free agency ever since he came into the league in 2012. It’s quite unclear where the 26-year old phenom will land but whoever it is will have to pony up big time. His agent Scott Boras is reportedly looking to get Harper $500 million dollars over 13 years. Spoiler alert, he won’t but you can’t knock him for trying. That being said, here are some teams that will likely be the landing spot for Harper this Winter.
Philadelphia Phillies
There are reports that the Phillies are potentially trying to sign both Harper and Manny Machado. They have a lot of money to spend but it’s hard to believe they will have two $300 million plus contracts on the payroll even though they have the room for it. Harper would be comfortable here having already played in the NL East with the Nationals. The Phillies have a young core that has a lot of potential with guys like Rhys Hoskins and Aaron Nola but they lack true star power. If they can land Harper there will certainly be a power shift in the NL East.
San Francisco Giants
After a season in which they tried to patch together a team of veterans, the Giants hired a new GM Farhan Zaidi and are going into rebuild mode. What better way to start a rebuild then with a 26-year old former MVP? While AT&T Park is not friendly to lefties the Giants are a historic organization that have a culture of winning which could be enough to attract Harper. They also have some openings in the outfield with both Andrew McCutchen being traded last season and Hunter Pence on his way out. The Giants have plenty of money to dish out but they still have some bad contracts on their roster with Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija eating up a decent chunk of their cap.
Chicago Cubs
Harper has ben linked to the Cubs for a while now particularly because of his friendship with Kris Bryant and the fact that he named his dog Wrigley. He’s also posted pictures with Bryant with the hashtag “#Back2BackOneDay”. However money is tight right now for the Cubs and they still have to pay some of their home grown guys like Javy Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Bryant. Also they still have Jason Heyward’s contract to worry about in which he is owed $106 million from now until 2023.
New York Yankees
The Yankees will forever be linked to every big name free agent for the rest of time. Harper grew up a Yankees fan and has an infatuation with Mickey Mantle. the Yankees were favorites for years to land Harper and it was thought that they wanted to get under the luxury tax threshold for this particular reason but that changed when they took on the albatross contract of Giancarlo Stanton last Winter. The Yankees will have to pay some of their youngsters soon and they are pretty much set in the outfield with Judge, Hicks, Stanton, and Gardner. They also have younger guys who will eventually crack the big league lineup in Clint Frazier and Estevan Florial. Boras said that Harper would play 1st base if needed but this was likely to keep the Yankees as leverage for other teams. The Yanks have money to spend but GM Brian Cashman has reiterated that pitching is a priority this offseason.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals reportedly offered Harper a $10-year $300 million dollar contract with no opt-out in order to keep their superstar but he not very surprisingly declined so he could test the market. Harper loved his time in Washington and the fans would want him to stay. Playing in one place for his whole career could be appealing to him as someone who cares about their legacy. The Nats had a fluke year last season in which they had the talent to compete but they fell way short of expectations. If Harper sees that they are a player or two away from contending it may be enough to get him to stay. Well that and maybe $400 million.
