Giants still hopeful of landing free agent Bryce Harper.
Ann Killion: As a matter of fact, free agent excites
Fact: The Giants’ 2019 season opens Tuesday in Scottsdale.
Fact: Bryce Harper remains unsigned in Las Vegas.
Fact: On Monday, gambling odds listed the Giants as the favorite to sign Harper, ahead of the Padres and Phillies.
Fact: This is the most excitement the Giants have generated in a long time.
On a cold, wet weekend before the start of spring training, the Giants and their fans warmed themselves over the small ember of hope that Harper represents.
Could the young outfielder really be
heading to San Francisco? On Friday, Harper was Topic 1 when the media met with the players, manager Bruce Bochy and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. The next day, at a rainy FanFest, Harper was again the primary source of interest. In fact, a rumor buzzed around the ballpark that the team was prepared to introduce Harper right then and there. Which just shows the wishfulness of the situation: The PR-conscious Giants would not introduce their new star in the wet and mud.
But the sentiment from all sides seems to be “get it done.”
“Sign him,” Buster Posey said.
Posey, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, Jeff Samardzija — all leaders on the team — expressed enthusiasm over the prospect of adding Harper. Many of them know him, from All-Star Games and other baseball events. Crawford played in fall ball with him many years ago.
“He was a good teammate,” Crawford said. “He was only like 20 years old, if that. Now, at this point, he’s one of the game’s best players.”
There was no indication that the Giants have any concern about Harper’s emotional side. And, the Giants have seen hot Harper up close, mostly thanks to their former knucklehead teammate, Hunter Strickland.
Remember in 2017, when Strickland decided to settle a 3-year-old score by throwing at Harper, igniting a brawl? Samardzija went at Harper but found himself blocked by Michael Morse, who suffered a concussion and never played again. Posey, famously, stood back and watched the incident unfold without getting involved. Perhaps it was an act of self-preservation. Or perhaps he was subconsciously casting his vote in the Harper sweepstakes way back then.
Giants players aren’t only enthusiastic about the prospect of getting Harper. They are stoked about what the pursuit of him means in terms of the organization. For four months, they’ve heard nothing but rebuild, rebuild, rebuild. These are professionals, many with World Series rings and the firm belief that they don’t have to tear down the whole thing to be competitive.
“We want the best competition, so you know you’re going to see a great game,” Posey said. “Not like, ‘Oh these guys are in a rebuilding mode.’ We’ve got to figure out a way that, in each game, the fans have the feeling the competition is at its highest.”
Posey has been direct about his desires. The catcher isn’t very active on social media, but in the past week, he retweeted a post lamenting the fact that free-agent outfielder Adam Jones hasn’t been signed. He retweeted another post about the Phillies being in a win-right-now mode, commenting: “Great news for Phils fans. But shouldn’t every team be in a win-rightnow mode? What is the point in showing up if you’re not trying to win? Thankful for being in an organization that wants to win!”
That is called sending a message. Though Posey seemed less absolutely certain about his organization’s mindset Friday.
“I’ve always felt very fortunate to be part of an organization that tries to put a team on the field that has a chance to make the playoffs, to just get in and have a chance to compete in October, and I sure hope that’s still the case,” Posey said. “That’s all I can hope for. That it’s still the case.”
The Harper pursuit and CEO Larry Baer’s FanFest comments about one player being able to make a difference indicate the Giants still want to be that team.
There’s another subtext to all of this, one that wasn’t lost on anyone who was near the ballpark last weekend. Looming just down the street, its white shell visible through gaps between rising buildings in the bursting neighborhood, is Chase Center. The big dog is coming to the neighborhood and the Giants know it.
Baer and his organization have had Mission Bay to themselves for nearly two decades. Heck, they created Mission Bay as a desirable neighborhood. But they have to do something to stay relevant with the Warriors — potentially having just completed a three-peat — as their new neighbors. Different sports, different teams, but competing for the same eyeballs and discretionary dollars. Harper definitely would help with that competition.
The Giants have pursued and lost out on other bigname free agents in recent years. If that happens again with Harper, there is going to be tremendous disappointment. That’s just a fact.