Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images
- Bryce Harper is reportedly meeting with the Phillies in Las Vegas on Saturday as his pending contract continues to loom large on the baseball world.
- Harper's decision will eventually be announced through "MLB The Show" as a result of a partnership between the video game and the perennial All-Star.
- Some recent tweets from the game's Twitter account have some thinking that Harper's meeting with the Phillies might be more than another contract pitch.
Bryce Harper, the most sought-after free agent in baseball, looks set to make his decision in the near future, and some are speculating that his video game sponsor, "MLB The Show," is already teasing at his eventual destination.
Harper said back in November that he would announce his free agency decision through "MLB The Show," as he is serving as this year's cover athlete for the game.
While there are still only rumors regarding where Harper will eventually end up, "MLB The Show" hasn't been shy about fanning the flames of speculation over the past few days, and on Wednesday, sent out a tweet that felt particularly cheeky.
Spreading the news that Harper was meeting with the Phillies in Las Vegas on Saturday, the tweet used a custom link that read "Bryce Phanatic," giving some Phillies fans hope that their team was now the front-runner to sign the perennial All-Star.
Further posts from the account seemed to continue the tease, with @MLBTheShow highlighting "'76" and retweeting news of Harper's potential return to the Nationals with the hashtag "#TheLiesWeAllTellOurselves," leading to even more speculation.
Granted, this could all simply be more promotion and capitalization on Phillies fans desire to sign Harper, but Philadelphia hasn't been shy about their pursuit of the superstar, and with spring training now just weeks away, a decision has to be coming sometime soon.
If the Phillies reported meeting with Harper on Saturday goes according to plan, we could see the cover, and his new team, as soon as next week.
*Cancels Saturday plans...* https://t.co/wFC0oL9m2X pic.twitter.com/fAdNLkfgHd
- MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 9, 2019
-Bryce Harper is MLB The Show's cover player for 2019
-The official account tweets out this before the Phillies are set to meet with Harper on Saturday
-It's with a custom link with the words "Bryce Phanatic" https://t.co/APg9ySEaUn
- Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) January 9, 2019
If I am following this mysterious hashtag correct the Phillies are about to sign Bryce Harper to be their mascot https://t.co/ElW4twDmlU
- Macyk 🌩 (@MarkMacyk) January 10, 2019
#TheLiesWeAllTellOurselves https://t.co/1vAHpwKixI
- MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 9, 2019
A better number than '76.
Reserve yours today: https://t.co/c1vYWCZuaW pic.twitter.com/JvHfL4xpNu
- MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 10, 2019