Bryce Harper Rumors: Proximity to Vegas, Lakers Part of Dodgers' Appeal to Star

If the Los Angeles Dodgers are indeed interested in Bryce Harper and willing to offer him a long-term contract, it might be lights out for any other team's pursuit of the star outfielder, including the Philadelphia Phillies. 

According to Jon Morosi of the MLB Network, "Some Phillies officials have grown concerned Harper will sign with the Dodgers if they make an offer that comes close to Philly's. The ability to play close to home and train in Arizona both appeal to Harper, who is a Los Angeles Lakers fan."

Morosi also reported the Dodgers may be willing to dedicate more money to Harper following Nolan Arenado's reported eight-year, $260 million contract extension with the Colorado Rockies—that includes a player opt-out after three years, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic—on Tuesday:

While the Phillies have long been the favorites in the Harper sweepstakes, given their apparent willingness to spend as much money as it would take on a star this offseason, the tide appears to be shifting toward the Dodgers.

The team even moved to the top of the odds to land him:

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, meanwhile, has tweeted regularly about Harper's free agency and the Dodgers recent foray into the mix:

And MLB analyst Jim Bowden believes the Dodgers should make a push for Harper, tweeting that the team "must realize with Arenado now not a free agent option...and the industry believing [Paul] Goldschmidt will eventually be extended by the St. Louis Cardinals and with no middle of the order bats in their system coming and [Clayton] Kershaw's shoulder barking...they need to pivot and make a strong run at Harper."

From an offensive standpoint, Harper would, in essence, replace the departed Manny Machado, who signed with the San Diego Padres this offseason. In Philadelphia, meanwhile, he'd be a major upgrade in the outfield and pair with J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen to give the team a fearsome lineup. 

With the multitude of reports suggesting Harper would prefer the Dodgers, however, the Phillies may need to seriously top any potential offer Los Angeles is willing to make. Or that's simply what agent Scott Boras wants Philly to believe and the Phillies are the only team even in the ballpark of what Boras and Harper are hoping to get in this contract.

That's the situation the Phillies find themselves in. Are the Dodgers a legitimate threat, or are the Phillies simply bidding against themselves out of fear that another team is lurking? 

It's high-stakes poker, and it threatens to last into March, much to the chagrin of baseball fans.