We have some developing “news” this morning from free agency rumor man Jon Heyman. Apparently, Bryce Harper wants not your stopgap offers, non-committal baseball executives:

I live for the crumbs. Feed them to me and sustain my being.

Say, isn’t there a west coast team that is supposedly gearing up to offer Harper a “lucrative” quickie of a deal. Why yes. Yes, there is. From a piece over the weekend by old friend Bob Nightengale:

One high-ranking rival executive boldly predicts the Giants will ultimately sign the 26-year-old star. The Giants indeed plan to offer Harper a lucrative short-term deal, but have no desire to provide a long-term contract approaching the 10-year, $300 million contract Harper rejected from the Washington Nationals in September.

Nightengale also joined San Francisco’s KNBR 680 yesterday and had this to say:

With the Giants moving in and all the optimism, I do believe it’s a coin flip. I think the Phillies to get Harper, they’re going to have to grossly outbid the Giants to get him, I really do. I think if it’s close he goes to San Francisco, if there’s a huge gap, tough to walk away from that kind of money.


Giants vs. Phillies. Heyman vs. Nightengale.

We have conflict. We have NATIONAL BASEBALL WRITER HEARSAY WARS!

I think I’m going to roll with Heyman on this one, although the Giants are the “Vegas favorite” to sign Harper. Oh wait. Those much publicized click-bait odds were no longer available as of last night. You know, because they are created merely to generate hype as a conversation piece for an offshore illegal sportsbook.

If Heyman’s report about Harper’s wishes for a long-term commitment is true, the Phillies again seem to be the most obvious landing spot for his services. It has really been that simple all winter, and with the official start of spring training now upon us, it remains so.