No, Scott Boras was not serious when he said Bryce Harper already has a deal in place

One sentence in a larger interview on Friday raised eyebrows for many baseball fans, as it seemed like agent Scott Boras had just revealed that Bryce Harper already has a deal in place with an unknown MLB team.

“We know who the team is,” Boras said. “It’s already completed and done, but Bryce has told me that he wanted to tell you personally.”

Boras said that fateful sentence during an interview with Michael Kay on YES Network, the New York Yankees’ team-owned television affiliate.

A six-time All-Star and unanimous MVP in 2015, few players have entered free agency with as much hype and intrigue as the 25-year-old Harper. So him already having a deal in place with a team would be quite something, especially since that deal is guaranteed to fall deep into the nine-figures range.

Good thing Boras was completely joking when he was talking about the deal to Kay.

The context of Scott Boras’ Bryce Harper quote

Here is the full question and answer between Kay and Boras from the interview:

Our first clue that Boras was absolutely joking was that Kay outright asked Boras where Harper will sign. Boras likely wasn’t planning to go on YES Network to reveal major news about his highest-profile client, so he instead decided to get playful with Kay.

That’s further supported by Kay saying he “owes” Boras one, Boras chucking along and Boras telling Kay he should actually call to ask Harper where he’s planning to go.

Two days later, chatter about Harper possibly already having a deal pushed Washington Post beat writer Chelsea Janes to confirm that Boras was joking and castigate fans who took him seriously.

Why Bryce Harper almost certainly doesn’t have a deal in place

Well, for starters, it’s very much against MLB rules for Boras and Harper to negotiate with any team right now other than the Washington Nationals, Harper’s current team. Free agency doesn’t begin until the day after the World Series.

So either Harper has improbably signed an extension with the Nationals on the eve of his free agency, or Boras just created a very good reason for MLB to investigate whichever team signs Harper for tampering. Or, just maybe, Boras was joking.

Another idea is that Boras is trying to create urgency for teams in the Harper sweepstakes, but going on a radio show while laughing about the idea would sure be an odd way to do so. And such a maneuver could also backfire, since it could discourage other teams from bidding for Harper in the first place.

It could be months before an MLB team gives Harper what the outfielder is looking for, especially considering how willing Boras has been to wait for a deal in the past.

Excitement already building for Harper’s free agency

Sure, Boras was joking, but that doesn’t mean the hype is real for Harper’s approaching mega-deal.

We don’t know where Harper will sign. Big-money teams like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have been speculated. A return to the Nationals has been speculated. Dark horses like the Philadelphia Phillies have been speculated.

The only thing we really do know is that Harper is not looking to give any team a discount. Even after a less-than-ideal 2018 season, Harper’s youth and past superstar seasons could be more than enough to justify running up his free agency bill up to record numbers.

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