Bryce Harper has his home run derby title (thanks pops), but his work this season is not nearly done. He has to pick up his mediocre stat line to ensure he gets a boatload of money this offseason. Perhaps his Nats can make the playoffs and lose in the NLDS, as is tradition, along the way.
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With the upcoming mega free agent class slowly approaching, odds have been posted on which team will land the slugger this offseason. Will Harper get the $500 million contract he so desires? It may be tough considering he currently has the same 119 wRC+ as Teoscar Hernandez and Brian Anderson, but the massive potential he showed in his 2015 MVP campaign must not be forgotten.
These odds are honestly a bit perplexing. First and foremost, I don't see any reason why "Field" has the best odds at +330. Which team not listed has a chance to sign him? Has any other team been linked to him? Can anyone else afford him? I doubt we'll see many bettors taking that option.
The two favorites among individual teams are the Nats and New York Yankees. At +475, the implied odds of him signing with either one are just 17.4%. In an interview at the home run derby, Harper made it seem pretty clear that he was looking forward to free agency without outwardly saying he was leaving Washington. The Nats could, of course, end up offering him the best deal, but most folks feel that he wants to go elsewhere.
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The Yankees always throw their name in the hat for every big free agent and have had plenty of success bringing in star players. Those Pinstripes have their way of luring in the superstars, there's no denying that.
If I were to bet on this prop at these prices, my money would be on the Cubs. Plenty of rumors have linked Harper to the Cubs, and there are some hints he's dropped that are hard to explain away. His dog's name is Wrigley, he grew up playing ball in Vegas with his buddy Kris Bryant and even posted this Instagram with the hashtag #Back2BackOneDay. I'll take a near 8-1 payout on that any day of the week.
The team I least expect him to join? The Angels: where superstars get no attention and don't win. Of course, if he joined them, they'd probably start winning … but does he know that? We'll never know (because he won't be signing with them).
