Report: Harper seeking record deal north of Stanton's $325M contract
Bryce Harper knows what he wants.
The 26-year-old free agent has yet to sign a new contract and appears focused on a potential record-breaking contract.
Harper is seeking a contract surpassing the $325-million pact Giancarlo Stanton signed with the Miami Marlins in 2014, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Stanton's contract is the largest in MLB history in terms of total money. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke's deal pays him the highest average salary at $34.4-million annually, according to Cot's Contracts.
The Washington Nationals, Harper's former team, offered the slugger a 10-year deal worth $300 million before the end of the 2018 season; they've reportedly upped the offer since.
Harper and fellow top free agent Manny Machado have been linked to a number of teams throughout the offseason but little traction has followed. The Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox - among others - have all emerged as potential landing spots for Harper.
The Phillies are set to meet with Harper in his native Las Vegas on Saturday so this whole saga could be reaching its conclusion. But the former National League MVP may be willing to hold out into February, as a source told Jeff Passan of ESPN earlier this month.
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