Steve Phillips reading between the lines on Bryce Harper’s suitors will encourage White Sox fans

Steve Phillips reading between the lines on Bryce Harper’s suitors will encourage White Sox fans originally appeared on nbcsportschicago.com

Everyone is trying to read between the lines and figure out where Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will be signing.

As far as Harper goes, former Mets GM Steve Phillips tweeted out some of his thoughts on the outfielder’s suitors. It’s a wild ride with an ending White Sox fans will like.

Steve Phillips
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@StevePhillipsGM
There is being “in” on a free agent player and there is being “IN”. A team (#Cubs) saying they might be in on Bryce Harper, if they can move $ or if the owner changes his mind, is not really “IN.”

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10:02 PM – Dec 28, 2018
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Steve Phillips
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@StevePhillipsGM
A team (#Phillies) that is “IN” on Bryce Harper, would meet with him at the winter meetings in Las Vegas when he was three blocks away. If not, they aren’t really “IN.”

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10:04 PM – Dec 28, 2018
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Steve Phillips
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@StevePhillipsGM
A team (Dodgers) that is “IN” on Bryce Harper, only if he is willing to accept a deal half as long as he wants, is not really “IN.” They are a fallback option.

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10:06 PM – Dec 28, 2018
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Steve Phillips
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@StevePhillipsGM
A team (Nationals) that is “IN” on Bryce Harper, after having their $300 million offer rejected and then spending almost half that money elsewhere, isn’t really “IN.” They are a soft landing spot in case everything falls apart.

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10:11 PM – Dec 28, 2018
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Steve Phillips
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@StevePhillipsGM
That leaves the #WhiteSox as the only team really “IN” on Bryce Harper.

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10:12 PM – Dec 28, 2018
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Phillips isn’t saying the White Sox are the favorites for Harper and he isn’t saying he expects them to sign him. Still, for White Sox fans looking for any bread crumb of information or a reason to be optimistic, this is probably as good as it’s going to get until after the New Year.

There is no end in sight for the Harper saga and with agent Scott Boras involved, this could take a while. Things can and likely will change for the teams involved, but as things stand, Phillips makes about as good of a pro-White Sox argument as there is.