John Middleton meeting with Bryce Harper sends Phillies fans into a frenzy
By Dan Parzych
Philadelphia Phillies fans were trying to hold back their excitement on Friday when the news broke that John Middleton was in Las Vegas to meet with Bryce Harper.
Remember how excited Philadelphia Phillies fans were a few days ago when Manny Machado agreed to a deal with the San Diego Padres, and reports claimed that Bryce Harper could finally make a decision by the end of the week.
Well, it’s officially the weekend, and as of Saturday, Harper still hasn’t announced any plans over the team he plans to play for during the 2019 season.
For months, Philadelphia has been linked as a potential landing spot for the star outfielder since they were not only a young team on the rise talent wise, but also they were one of a few teams that could actually afford to sign Harper to the kind of contract he desires.
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With this in mind, what exactly has been holding up a decision on Harper’s end, whether he’s interested in the Phillies or someone else?
At the moment, it’s tough to determine exactly what Harper is thinking since most baseball fans assumed he would have reached a decision by now, but at least Friday’s late news regarding Phillies owner John Middleton flying out to Las Vegas continues to provide hope for fans.
A source in Las Vegas tells me that Phillies owner John Middleton’s plane is on the ground in that city. Vegas is Bryce Harper’s home town. No other details, but talks clearly ongoing.
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) February 23, 2019
While Philly appears to be in strong position, word is there is no deal yet with Bryce, and no expectation he will be returning east with Phillies owner John Middleton. “Just a meeting,” is the official word. SF, SD, Wash, maybe 1 more still in the game to varying degrees.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 23, 2019
Even though the excitement was kicked down a notch after hearing this was “just a meeting” with numerous teams still in the race for Harper, at least Philadelphia continues to be in great position since Middleton flying out seems to be another huge step in the right direction.
Whether this happens to be the case or not, there’s been plenty of speculation that money (shocker) has been part of the holdup, and Harper is using Machado’s deal as leverage to earn the highest contract possible.
Only time will tell when it comes to seeing how this meeting between Middleton and Harper turns out, but at least hearing this is better than any potential news related to the Phillies missing out on the outfielder, right?
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Spring training is already underway for Philadelphia, and while Harper potentially joining in a few weeks wouldn’t exactly be the worst thing in the world, the preference if possible would be to get a deal done sooner rather than later, so here’s to hoping this weekend’s meeting is successful.