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I am happy to see the Padres be relevant again, watch out they could be like the Braves last year.Comment -
The only thing about Machado is that he is not a clutch hitter.Comment -
- The Phillies’ “total focus” right now is on Harper, Heyman tweets. Another free agent, such as Dallas Keuchel and/or Craig Kimbrel could become a target once Harper signs (be it in Philadelphia or elsewhere), but at the moment, the organization’s efforts are zeroed in on landing Harper.
- Todd Zolecki, Mark Feinsand and Jamal Collier of MLB.com write that the Phillies are wary of bidding against themselves and overpaying for Harper. Notably, the MLB.com trio cite multiple sources in reporting that the Nationals “have no plans to give Harper a mega-deal comparable to Machado’s 10-year, $300 million contract.” If that’s the case, then it’s not clear exactly who’d pose a threat to the Phillies at present, as the Giants’ interest in Harper has repeatedly been reported to be on a shorter term deal with a significant annual value. The report also cites two sources indicating that approximately $100MM of the Nationals’ initial 10-year, $300MM offer to Harper (issued back in September) would have been deferred. Certainly, ownership could still decide to step up and retain the face of the franchise, but the fact that the initial offer was well shy of $300MM in actual, present-day value because of those deferrals doesn’t bode well for the Nats now deciding to top $300MM. Machado’s deal reportedly contains no deferrals.
- Giants president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi didn’t speak with an increased urgency after the Padres landed Machado, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Specifically, Zaidi stated that he doesn’t think the Machado agreement “really changes how we’re viewing our team and what we might still do with it,” going on to emphasize the importance of making the “right decision” rather than acting “in a reactionary way.”
Earlier Updates
- Harper has recently rejected “multiple offers” of $300MM or more, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). All five teams listed below have been involved to some degree of late. This report certainly suggests that Harper won’t have trouble topping Machado’s final price tag, though it remains unclear just how high the money could go. The final bidding seemed to boost Machado’s ultimate earning level quite a bit, and it’s not hard to imagine a final run-up raising Harper’s contract price.
- The White Sox are “out of the Bryce Harper sweepstakes,” according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links). It had been fair to wonder whether the club would pivot to Harper after missing out on Manny Machado. Instead, though, it seems that ship has already sailed. Whether that’s because the bidding has already outstripped the South Siders’ spending levels or due to other considerations isn’t clear, but it seems Harper’s list of suitors is down at least one team. That said, Nightengale notes that the White Sox could still look into other free agents. He lists a few possibilities in the infield (Marwin Gonzalez, Josh Harrison) and rotation (Gio Gonzalez), though it’s not really clear whether any of those players are particular targets for the White Sox.
- Unsurprisingly, the Giants are still involved in the hunt for Harper, per a report from Andy Martino of SNY.tv (Twitter links). The “sense” from Martino’s sources, it seems, is that the San Francisco organization has “a shot” at striking a deal while the Phillies face “a tough road” to land Harper — at least, that is, without going north of Giancarlo Stanton’s record-holding contract to do it. That’s an interesting characterization of the state of play, as there have been indications that the Giants are less than enthused about offering the kind of lengthy deal that Harper still seeks.
- Whether teams beyond the three listed in this post are involved on Harper is not entirely clear at this point. There are conflicting indications on the Padres, though it seems hard to imagine they’d end up landing both Harper and Machado. While the Nationals probably can’t be ruled out entirely until the ink is dry, there are indications that the club has moved on. Mystery teams have reportedly also been circling, though we haven’t heard any updates on that in some time.
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Make that bid Philly, so Theo and Boras can get to business!Comment -
Giants still in the Harper sweepstakes according to the guys on MLB network but I have to believe as a fan that the Machado deal takes them out of the running for Harper if they were even in it to begin with. I just don't know that they will really want to pony up for Harper especially now that it will take a multiyear deal north of 300 million to sign him.Comment -
Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez is working on a new slider. He threw one last year, but Alex Cora called it more of a slider/cutter. This would be more of a conventional slider and Cora was very enthusiastic on Tuesday about what's he seen from Rodriguez. Many in Red Sox believed he's ready for his best season.Comment -
Orioles can do it no????Comment -
First game of Spring Training was cancelled today due to rain.Comment -
let the games beginComment -
Looking forward to watching a little spring training. March and April right around the corner best time of the year for me since college hoops and baseball are my favorite sports.
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Now that Manny Machado’s 10-year, $300MM deal with the Padres has been announced, Bryce Harper and agent Scott Boras have a definitive bar to attempt to clear as they seek a record-setting contract of their own. Yesterday’s slate of rumors on Harper had a series of updates on how the Phillies, Nats, White Sox and Giants view the former NL MVP now that Machado is off the board. Here’s a look at the latest chatter on “Harper’s Bazaar” as the long, drawn-out saga inches toward a resolution…
- MLB.com’s Jon Morosi joined Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area for Pavlovic’s latest Giants Insider podcast (audio link; Harper talk beginning around 12:45), wherein Morosi called an 11-year contract for Harper “very possible.” As others have done before him, Morosi suggested that Harper is expected to receive a larger contract than the one Machado received in San Diego.
- Coming away from their pursuit of Machado empty-handed has “heightened” the Phillies’ pursuit of Harper, writes Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Breen writes that the organization is confident it’ll be able to sign the six-time All-Star, adding that the Phils “will be much more reluctant to walk away this time.” General manager Matt Klentak spoke candidly this week about the fact that Machado’s price point simply got to a point that exceeded the team’s valuation of Machado. It’s not clear whether the organization will take a similarly practical approach to Harper in the end, but Breen notes that the front office and ownership are keenly aware of how the public would perceive a scenario in which the Phillies fail to sign either Harper or Machado.
- Padres ownership will meet tomorrow to determine if it is feasible to make a run at signing Harper in addition to signing Machado, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. As one would expect, Heyman notes that such a scenario is not at all considered likely, but it seems that the organization’s partners will at least perform due diligence and see if such a strategy can be pieced together. Heyman further tweets that for the Nationals, the ultimate call on Harper will come down to Ted Lerner (despite the fact that in 2018, Lerner ceded control of the organization to his son, Mark). The elder Lerner’s relationship with Boras is well-documented, though virtually every report out of D.C. over the past several weeks has suggested that the Nationals won’t be a top bidder for Harper.
- Bruce Levine of 670 The Score / CBS Chicago reports that the White Sox will not bid on Harper, echoing similar sentiments reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale yesterday. Levine notes that the organization is quite high on some of its outfield prospects, noting that the ChiSox could make a short-term pickup in the outfield to help bridge the gap to that young talent.
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Orioles are the real deal this year mark my words.Comment -
can the Padres shock the sports world and sign Harper as well?
highly doubtful but that would make quite a story
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No way Padres get Harper, not a chance.Comment -
Maybe if the Padres didn't have Hosmer on the books they would have went for both guys.Comment -
Good depth signing for the Twins to get the versatile Marwin Gonzalez for two years and $21 million, right in line with the contracts of DJ LeMahieu and Jed Lowrie. He can play third if Miguel Sano can't stay healthy or he can play second if Jonathan Schoop struggles again like last season. I'd expect he might play some first base as well, with his switch-hitting ability adding another lefty bat against tough right-handers. You can argue they were in more need of a starting pitcher, but Gonzalez will help.Comment -
Any thoughts on over unders for this season?Comment -
Padres trying to get Miguel Andujar from the Yankees.Comment -
The Dodgers have shut down star hurler Clayton Kershaw indefinitely, manager Dave Roberts tells Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. The venerable southpaw is dealing with an unspecified health issue that Roberts would describe only as an “arm kind of thing.”
Initial signals from the organization are that there’s nothing to worry about at this point. Kershaw says he’s “just going to take a few days right now” and adds that he expects to resume throwing in short order, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County-Register tweets.
In Roberts’s view, too, this is just an early pause “to just kind of step away, give him a couple days.” That said, he acknowledged that he “can’t say right now” just when Kershaw will be ready to ramp back up.
Clearly, there’s no reason to rush to judgment about what might be going on here. Given Kershaw’s recent health history, there’s also some reason for added concern. Both men were rather circumspect about the underlying issue, declining to clarify whether Kershaw’s prior back and shoulder problems were involved. For the time being, then, we’ll just have to wait to see how things progress and await further word.Comment -
Phillies meeting with Harper in Vegas. The hot stove may just be heating up...
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Can get the orioles to win the world series right now at 2000 to 1 at 5dimesComment -
Love this. He was filthy last year, injuries have seemingly been his only hurdle. Well, that and always taking 90-100 pitches to get through 5. Last year his only real injury was a fluke ankle from a first base collision. Hoping he puts it all together this year, I will be targeting him for sureComment
