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'I Want To Be With One Team': Why Bryce Harper Resisted the Lump Sum to Join the Phillies

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  • The Dodgers offered a payday, but the Phillies offered security. Bryce Harper entered free agency looking to commit to one team's future until his retirement. Philadelphia is where he'll do it.

The most expensive deal in baseball history took root in a casino. The Philadelphia Phillies’ last best chance to woo Bryce Harper took place amid the high-backed gold leather booths and white linens of Carbone, a restaurant in the ARIA resort and casino in Las Vegas that imbues the feel and fragrance of mid-century Hollywood.