Bruce Bochy’s reaction to the Bryce Harper news pic.twitter.com/gj2saAuTT0
— Kerry Crowley (@KO_Crowley) February 28, 2019
The Bryce Harper sweepstakes finally ended on Thursday, with the Phillies reportedly landing the six-time All-Star outfielder for a record-breaking 13-year, $330 million deal.
The report ends an entire offseason’s worth of speculation as to where Harper would sign. Along with the Phillies, the Giants and Dodgers also reportedly had long-term offers on the table that the former NL MVP was considering.
Shortly after the announcement, Bruce Bochy reacted to the news while speaking to reporters in Scottsdale.
“I don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t like to have a guy like that in the lineup,” Bochy said. “I think we all felt, and it seemed like, that’s the direction he was heading. I don’t allow myself to really think about it because you can’t be disappointed, and I don’t want these guys to be disappointed. I tell them, you’ve got to be thankful for what you have vs. what you don’t have, and that’s how we think here.”
The specifics of the Giants offer was revealed by NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic on Thursday, when he tweeted that San Francisco had a 12-year, $310 million offer on the table for Harper. Apparently, the Giants would’ve had to offer more to land Harper, due to California taxes.
I’m told Giants made a 12-year, $310 million offer to Bryce Harper. They were willing to go higher but would have had to go well over $330 million to get it done because of California taxes.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) February 28, 2019
The fact that the Giants even offered that much for Harper is significant, especially since they reportedly were not interested in offering a “long-term deal” after the two sides met for the first time in early February. According to Jon Heyman, the Dodgers did not offer Harper a deal 10 years in length.
The Dodgers did not offer Bryce Harper a 10-year contract, source confirms. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 28, 2019
With the Giants currently looking at Steven Duggar, Cameron Maybin, and Gerardo Parra as their opening day outfielders, expect a flurry of moves in the coming days.