The San Francisco Giants stormed back into the Bryce Harper lottery last week when the two parties met in Harper's hometown of Las Vegas. The meeting originally scheduled for two hours lasted a total of four and included Harper plus his agent Scott Boras along with Giants' CEO Larry Baer, Manager Bruce Bochy and President of Operations Farhan Zaidi.
Zaidi denied offering Harper a formal contract. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, any contract San Francisco offers Harper will fall short of the 10 years, $300 million he reportedly rejected from the Nationals in September as the team has "no desire" to do so.
A serious contender for Harper, San Francisco prefers a short-term contract with the former MVP. A speculative three-year deal has been discussed, but there is no indication of Harper signing soon. A deal closer to Giancarlo Stanton's $265 million is closer to the Giants' preference considering San Francisco was willing to take on the large sum of money last offseason.
Despite no public offer being made, Harper's name was the talk of the town at Giants' Fan Fest over the weekend. While many of the players and front office members would not comment, Baer did say San Francisco is "giving it a shot."
The comment by Baer along with Giants' catcher Buster Posey's public recruiting of Harper has heads turning and optimism rising in San Francisco.
According to NBC Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic, Harper admires Posey and "there has been an increased sense among some in the clubhouse that Harper prefers the Giants."
Harper's agent Scott Boras, back in November, =described San Francisco as a "perfect fit" for his client. Later adding, “I think he likes the absolute feel of the ballpark and the fans,” Boras said then. “It’s a great fan base. You know you’re at a ballgame, and he loves the enthusiasm and their success.”
Back in 2013, Harper himself displayed his affection for the city of San Francisco on Twitter, calling it "one of my favorite places to play."
San Francisco is no stranger to handing out record-breaking contracts to left-handed hitting outfielders. In 1992, the Giants' snatched Barry Bonds out of free agency with a six-year, $44 million contract. CEO Larry Baer even compared Harper to Bonds reminding fans how quickly San Francisco turned things around following the Bonds signing. The Giants won 103 games during the 1993 season with Bonds, an increase of 31 from the previous season.
Baer finished his comparison by stating, "We want to be able to pursue players to bring championships back to the Giants' fans. Bryce Harper is an amazing player. It's very hard, and these are competitions. I can't handicap it. I don't know where we are, but we're giving it a shot, and that's all we can do."
Adding Harper is a top priority for San Francisco but only on their terms. The club does not seem keen on shelling out a decade long contract worth upwards of $300 million rather preferring a short-term agreement that allows the team to remain under the luxury tax.
Pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training Wednesday, February 13th for the Giants with the full squad arriving the following Tuesday-the team hoping Harper joins them.
*preview photo credited to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
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