You’re Phillies owner John Middleton, and life is good. Your team is already better than it was at the end of last season, after adding the best catcher in baseball, J.T. Realmuto, and Andrew McCutchen, and David Robertson, and others. But the best addition might be on the horizon.
You’ve got an offer out to slugger Bryce Harper, and you’re feeling very good about where you stand. In a winter in which big-budget teams like the Red Sox and Cubs have held the line on spending, your Phillies have tremendous payroll flexibility, and boatloads of cash. Some of it might be earmarked for the possibility of landing Mike Trout in a couple of years, but you want Harper now, and if you’re John Middleton, you’re probably thinking you’ve offered more money to Harper than anybody else — maybe far more money. Only Scott Boras knows for sure.
But in spite of your offer, Harper and Boras are still taking meetings with other teams who don’t seem positioned to offer anything close to what you offered. The Dodgers were the latest team to meet with the Harper camp, on Sunday night. You’re waiting for Harper to say yes, and instead, the courtship drags on.
You’re Phillies owner John Middleton, and you know what you do next?