SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Bryce Harper is not going to the Dodgers. So there's that.
A couple of hours after he found out he won't be managing the former MVP in his final season, Giants manager Bruce Bochy smiled when told that Harper was at least out of the division. The Dodgers, like the Giants, were a finalist.
"They've got such a good club anyway," Bochy said. "The fact that he's not in our division, sure, that's good news."
Bochy was hopeful, though, that it would be Harper who would help him try to catch the Dodgers. The Giants made a real effort, offering 12 years and $310 million, with a willingness to perhaps stretch further. But Harper on Thursday chose the Phillies. The cost: $330 million over 13 years.
"I think a lot of people thought that's where he was going," Bochy said after a 6-2 win over the Brewers. "That's over with now. We don't have to talk about it anymore. But like I said, for me, my focus had to be here on the club, not what may happen or could happen -- and that's where it was.
"You don't know what he's going to do, but hey, he made his decision, and the fact that we were in it, you're appreciative that ownership allowed us to get involved there. It didn't quite happen, and we move on."
Bochy, like his players, admitted there was disappointment. But he certainly wasted no time crafting a message for his team, which is healthy thus far and full of players eager to send Bochy out on a high note.
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"You've got to be thankful for what you have," Bochy said. "Not what you don't have."