The San Francisco Giants may not represent merely a short-term option for Bryce Harper, as the club has discussed a 10-year deal with the free-agent outfielder, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Giants CEO Larry Baer and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi reportedly met with Harper in Las Vegas for a second time Tuesday.
San Francisco was thought to only be interested in offering Harper a short-term deal, but the organization is not afraid of a lengthy commitment, Pavlovic adds.
There was a sense in the Giants clubhouse on Wednesday that the organization has a legitimate shot of welcoming Harper aboard this week, according to The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly.
Harper would certainly be a considerable upgrade over the Giants' current internal options.
Giants' outfield options - 2018 stats
| PLAYER | PA | HR | RBI | OPS | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Duggar | 152 | 2 | 17 | .693 | 0.7 |
| Mac Williamson | 105 | 4 | 11 | .678 | 0.3 |
| Gerardo Parra | 443 | 6 | 53 | .714 | 0.0 |
| Cameron Maybin | 384 | 4 | 28 | .662 | 0.5 |
Harper's 2018 stats
| PA | HR | RBI | OPS | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 695 | 34 | 100 | .889 | 3.5 |
The Giants face competition from a handful of teams, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers recently meeting with the free-agent slugger. Philadelphia has been viewed as a front-runner to acquire Harper for several weeks.
All teams talking to the 2015 National League MVP of late have discussed deals of at least 10 years in length, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Multiple teams have apparently offered Harper deals exceeding $300 million.
Harper is reportedly seeking a contract worth more than Giancarlo Stanton's $325-million arrangement.
The Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, and Washington Nationals have also expressed interest in Harper this offseason.
