The San Francisco Giants are in on Bryce Harper, but there is a problem when it comes to their commitment.
The hitch is the length of the commitment; San Francisco Giants officials want to keep it short and rewarding.
Bryce Harper’s free agency decision may come down to whether he values contract length more than average annual value.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Saturday that the San Francisco Giants were prepared to make Harper a substantial offer…but not for anything approaching the 10-year length Harper has been said to desire.
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Obviously, given the sensitive nature of negotiations, Giants officials were speaking only cryptically about Harper. “I don’t know where we are,” team president Larry Baer told reporters at the Giants’ Fan Fest, “but we’re giving it a shot.”
Harper has already famously rejected a 10-year, $300 million offer from his former team, the Washington Nationals. To the extent speculation has any value, it has leaned toward the Philadelphia Phillies as most likely to sign him.
Still, Nightengale reported that a “high-ranking team official” has told him the Giants will “ultimately” sign Harper.
He added, however, that San Francisco officials have no interest in being tied up to a 10-year commitment. That suggests they’re willing to go above $30 million per season for fewer seasons…possibly a lot fewer.
Under new President Of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi, the Giants have moved cautiously this off-season. They re-signed four players: pitcher Derek Holland for one year at $7 million, arbitration-eligible pitcher Sam Dyson for one year at $5 million, arbitration-eligible pitcher Will Smith for one year at $4.225 million and arbitration-eligible infielder Joe Panik for one year at $3.85 million.
That relative reticence has presumably been driven at least in part by the more than $128 million in 2019 payroll commitments Zaidi inherited
Having experienced Barry Bonds, the Giants are also keenly aware, however, of the drawing and marketing power of a big-name such as Harper.
“There is obviously mutual interest on both sides,” Zaidi told MLB.com. He confirmed visiting Harper for “a good conversation over a few hours”
“Bryce Harper is an amazing player,” Baer said. But he described the signing process as “…a very hard …competition…and I can’t handicap it.”