For a solid month now, the pursuit of free agent outfielder Bryce Harper, centered mainly around a trio of east coast franchises — in Washington, Philadelphia and the Bronx — with the financial wherewithal and apparent interest in signing the 26-year-old slugger to a megadeal, has been tempered by one sobering undercurrent: if the Dodgers ever got seriously involved, this dance could be over quickly.
That day appeared to arrive Tuesday, with the news, first reported by Yahoo Sports, that the Dodgers recently sent a contingent of team officials to Las Vegas to meet with Harper and his representatives.