The San Francisco Giants are trying to give the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies a run for their money for free agent Bryce Harper.
San Francisco, which recently was the odds-on favorite to land the 26-year-old superstar, has renewed its effort to sign Harper. According to Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News, the team had a second meeting in Las Vegas with Harper on Tuesday.
“Giants CEO Larry Baer and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi were in Las Vegas, Harper’s hometown, to meet with the coveted free agent and agent Scott Boras for a second time in a matter of weeks.”
Before the Dodgers jumped into the fray, the Giants were seen as the team that would give Philadelphia the biggest fight to land Harper.
Clearly, the team’s desire to sign Harper has not waned, and it is worth noting that Los Angeles getting into the discussion may have spurred the Giants even more — letting him land on a divisional rival’s roster would have been brutal.
At this time, it all boils down to how much teams are willing to lay down for Harper. One prominent reporter recently said he expected Harper to ultimately end up with a deal worth over $400 million. Based on the deals Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado signed, that may not be out of the question.