Look, I’ll be the first to say that I never in a billion years expected Bryce Harper to sign with the White Sox. The White Sox? Of all teams out there? Sure everyone knew they would have the money to spend, but no one thought they could outbid teams like the Cubs, Phillies, Yankees, or Dodgers. When it comes to teams like that, the White Sox are admittedly boys among men.
Oh how quickly things change…
This past week, updated national odds on where Bryce Harper would land came out. It was the first time the White Sox were even mentioned besides being part of “the field.”
Fresh Bryce Harper Odds… as of Tuesday night. Big changes from two weeks ago. #Phillies went from + 125 to +300. #Dodgers all the way down to +400. pic.twitter.com/Pffs5q4rme
— CoronaLime (@_CoronaLime_) December 5, 2018
As anyone with a working pair of eyes can see, this has the White Sox with the 7th best odds to sign the future Hall of Famer. Not that encouraging right? Well, a lot has happened since these odds came out on Tuesday. Let’s recap.
Nationals Sign Patrick Corbin, Apparently “Gave It Their Best Shot”
Earlier this week, the Nationals made the first truly big signing of the offseason by signing Patrick Corbin to a long-term contract. Many thought this was the first step to convincing Harper to resign with them. After all, a starting rotation that features Max Scherzer, Stephen Strausberg, and Patrick Corbin is pretty enticing.
Well, apparently that wasn’t the plan after all, as reports came out earlier today saying that the Nationals have all but said good-bye to their franchise cornerstone.
Mark Lerner all but says good-bye to Bryce Harper today in candid interview: Nationals' offer to Bryce Harper 'best we can do' | 106.7 The Fan https://t.co/4nnFoExzqK
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 7, 2018
So it’s safe to say we can cross the Nationals off the list.
Cubs Seem Intent On Not Entering The Luxury Tax
This time last year, everyone was already pegging the Cubs to sign Harper. He’s best friends with Kris Bryant, he’s known to love Chicago, AND HIS DOG’S NAME IS WRIGLEY!
But I guess no one really thought Theo Epstein would be so serious about the luxary tax. Reports are saying that they would have to trade one or both of Heyward and Chatwood (an almost impossible task given their contracts and performance).
Why Theo Epstein’s budget issues are real and Bryce Harper looks like a long shot for the Cubs: https://t.co/ZudjzlfO2k
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) December 7, 2018
However, Theo is a wizard when it comes to things like this and the Cubs could come out of no where and make an enticing offer. But the way reports are making it sound, it seems more and more unlikely that that won’t be the case.
Cardinals Sign Paul Goldschmidt, Make It Known They Plan To Resign Him.
The St. Louis Cardinals were also believed to be a player in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes until they traded for Paul Goldschmidt. He does only have one year left on his deal though, so the Cardinals could have theoretically gone all in in 2019 and signed Harper with the plan to let Goldschmidt walk next year. Well, that thought got trumped today as well.
St. Louis Cardinals president John Mozeliak made it clear during the Paul Goldschmidt press conference that he is confident in his team and that he believes he has the starting lineup in place now for 2019.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 7, 2018
San Francisco Is Just A Bad Fit
The Giants have been linked to Harper for some time now as a potential sleeper, but Harper in San Francisco doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. The Giants are getting older and older, so if they sign Harper they’d virtually be handcuffing themselves financially for the next few years. It would make a lot more sense to trade away whatever assets they have left and rebuild their team for the future.
Rumors Swirling That Harper Is Not Enamored With The City Of Philadelphia
The Phillies have been long looked at as the consensus favorite to land Bryce Harper. There have been reports of them willing to spend “stupid money” this off season. But will that be enough? Just moments ago, Jon Heyman dropped a pretty big nugget regarding Harper and Philly:
There’s word Harper may not be enamored of the city of brotherly love. But does that really even matter? @fancred @JennyDell_ https://t.co/2O9nnbhNGj
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 7, 2018
If you’ve been reading what I have to say about Bryce Harper’s free agency tour, you know that I always circle back to the point that money talks. I still believe that he’ll go to whoever offers him the most money, and that could easily be the Phillies. However, this could definitely be something to keep an eye on in the next week. Especially since it is known that Harper thoroughly enjoys the city of Chicago.
The Finalists
How fitting! Just as I’m wrapping this article up, we get this BOMBSHELL of a report:
Top 3 teams in the Bryce Harper Sweepstakes according to @kurkjian_ESPN
1. Phillies
2. Dodgers
3. White Sox— Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) December 7, 2018
Let’s go! I still know everyone out there will say that the White Sox have no shot, but everything that has happened the past week says otherwise. Rick Hahn, the ball is in your court. Get it done.
