When the Giants tried and failed to convince Giancarlo Stanton to accept a trade to San Francisco last winter, the real driving force behind their effort was not Larry Baer, the team's chief executive officer, nor Brian Sabean, who heads up baseball operations, nor former general manager Bobby Evans. The primary source of enthusiasm seems to have been 85-year-old owner Charles Johnson.
Johnson is well aware of how the signing of Barry Bonds was a turning point in the franchise's history. Bonds reached an agreement with the Giants in December 1992, at age 28, and for whatever else is said about Bonds, he delivered power and fans for the team. He hit 586 homers in 15 seasons, and in those years, San Francisco opened a new ballpark and usually ranked among the MLB leaders in attendance -- home and road. Sources say that Johnson was all-in on the idea of adding Stanton, who had a full no-trade clause and turned down a chance to be dealt to San Francisco.
Which brings us to Bryce Harper.
In so many ways, Harper would provide the Giants exactly what they need right now, as they sort through the rubble of consecutive dismal seasons.
Almost all of the core players from the three championship teams of 2010, 2012 and 2014 have either moved on or are on the downside of their respective careers. Shortstop Brandon Crawford will turn 32 in January and is coming off a season in which he hit .254 with 14 homers. Hunter Pence's contract has expired, and he probably won't be back with the Giants. Brandon Belt, now 30, has missed 118 games over the past two seasons. Buster Posey, who will be 32 in March, is coming off hip surgery; it remains to be seen how much he can contribute in the last three years of his contract. Next year figures to be the last in Bruce Bochy's time as manager of the Giants, before he eventually makes a speech in Cooperstown. Left-hander Madison Bumgarner is the primary holdover who is still in the midst of what should be his most productive seasons.
Meanwhile, execs with other teams say the Giants are still in the very early stages of rebuilding their farm system, and major help might still be several years away.
So they need something to sell for their fans, somebody around whom hope can be built. Harper would certainly draw interest as one of the game's highest-profile players -- just as Bonds was when he left the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent. Harper is a former MVP -- like Bonds. He's a polarizing player that fans can't take their eyes off -- just as Bonds was. And he's a left-handed slugger with power so dynamic that even AT&T Park couldn't hold him -- like Bonds.
The market might be a good fit for Harper as well. If he played in New York or Philadelphia, Harper would be scrutinized intensely for everything from his beard to his lapses in the baserunning protocol to his sometimes prickly personality. The most pointed questions that Bonds faced about his PED history seemed to occur when he passed through New York.
In San Francisco, Giants fans liked Bonds for the entertainment he provided, and to this day, they continue to appreciate and embrace him for the player that he was -- and for many, the other issues are irrelevant. That would probably be the case for Harper. And let's set this aside: Harper's 2017 brawl with Hunter Strickland would not be disqualifying, if in fact the Giants ever seriously dig into the idea of wooing Harper. If you're willing to consider an investment of more than $250 million in a player based on his merits, you're not going to worry about whether a teammate might be offended by his presence.
Harper, 26, is coming off what was regarded, generally, as a subpar year for him -- a season of 34 homers, a .393 OBP and 68 extra-base hits with the Washington Nationals. Last season, Andrew McCutchen tied for the Giants' lead in extra-base hits with 45 -- and he was traded in August. Three of San Francisco's eight primary position players posted an OBP under .300; no Giant was within 30 points of Harper's OBP.
So Harper would help on the field -- and off.
The Giants are still in the process of hiring someone to run their baseball operations, but if San Francisco ever got serious about Harper, that new exec would mostly be irrelevant in any Harper pursuit. Given the level of expenditure that Harper would require, neither Chaim Bloom nor Farhan Zaidi nor anybody else would be the most important person for the Giants.
The key guy would be Charles Johnson, who wanted Stanton last winter -- for all of the same reasons that a team might target Harper this winter.
What we're hearing from around the majors
The Cleveland Indians will go into 2019 as prohibitive favorites to win the American League Central, even if they execute trades of some of their more expensive veterans. They will keep shortstop Francisco Lindor and third baseman Jose Ramirez, and even if they deal one or two of their three most prominent starting pitchers -- those being Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco -- they will still have the most established staff in the division. By extracting trade value for Edwin Encarnacion or one of their available starters or catchers, the Indians hope to fortify the franchise into the next decade, while reducing payroll. The Indians won't have a lot of money to spend this winter, but whatever spending flexibility they have could be used on outfield help.
• Other teams believe the Chicago Cubs will have very difficult financial decisions this winter, given how they are bumping against the luxury tax threshold already, without having upgraded the team for next season.
• The most surprising qualifying offer might have been that extended by the Los Angeles Dodgers to catcher Yasmani Grandal, who struggled so badly defensively in the postseason that he was booed at Dodger Stadium and benched. But the Dodgers' front office has believed strongly in Grandal since acquiring him from the San Diego Padres, especially in his ability to frame pitches and reach base, and there is very little high-end catching available in the market.
• Last summer, the Giants rejected all overtures about Bumgarner, who is about to enter the last year of his contract with San Francisco. It might or might not be a coincidence that Bumgarner is regarded as a great favorite of Charles Johnson.