If Bryce Harper hasn't signed by the time you sit down for dinner Tuesday night, in the words of Ace Ventura:
Just wait longer.
The first major free agency domino fell Tuesday morning with the San Diego Padres reportedly giving Manny Machado a 10-year, $300 million contract, setting the table for Harper to sign shortly thereafter.
Or so we thought.
Harper eventually will sign somewhere, but it won't be with Machado in San Diego, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
The #Padres are ecstatic landing Manny Machado, and with $300 million committed to Machado, are bowing out of the Bryce Harper sweepstakes. The #Phillies remain the front-runner for Harper while the #SFGiants are also in the picture.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 20, 2019
Sports
Now, for that last little bit ...
"In the picture." OK. Is that the foreground, or the background? The red, or the white?
(I can never remember that).
Harper is widely expected to command a salary that exceeds Machado's, and thus far, the Giants have given no indication that they are willing to approach anything close to upwards of $300 million.
Still, the NL West just added another superstar, to a team with one of the best young cores in the league. The Dodgers show no signs of slowing down, and both the Diamondbacks and the Rockies are liable to surprise within any given season.
Could Tuesday's developments compel Farhan Zaidi and the Giants' brass to change course and offer Harper a huge number? After Machado got $300 million, that's assuredly what it would take.
[RELATED: Giants react to Machado's reported agreement with Padres]
We don't know how far out the Giants are on the periphery of the Harper picture, but at the very least, it appears they're still in the running, to some degree.
When Harper puts pen to paper is anyone's guess. It might be minutes. It might be hours. Heck, Harper could take the first two months off and show up in June. The baseball season is plenty long enough, as is.
Need some help passing the time?
Might I suggest an extremely quotable movie.
