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Reported Interest

These teams have been linked to Harper this offseason but don't appear to be realistic landing spots.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants have been linked to Harper since the start of the offseason, with Buster Olney of ESPN.com noting that the front office needs "something to sell for the fans, somebody around whom hope can be built," while writing on the team's potential pursuit. Spending $30 million-plus annually on Harper when the club is years from contention and has several other glaring holes still looks tough to justify.

St. Louis Cardinals

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote the following on Wednesday morning: "The Cardinals have stated a preference this winter to acquire a bat via trade and look to extend that player's contract—because they feel that has been a more advantageous approach for them than wading into the free-agent waters."

The Cardinals then went out and acquired Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks. So it stands to reason they'll make every effort to keep the slugging first baseman beyond this season by extending him. And if that's the case, it's hard to imagine that they'll fit Goldschmidt and Harper into the payroll.



Dark Horses

These teams have not been linked to Harper but could emerge as dark-horse contenders.



Atlanta Braves

"Never say never. But unless signing Harper or Manny Machado will alleviate the need for the Braves to add a veteran starter and add at least two proven relievers, then neither of these superstars should be considered a likely possibility," wrote Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

Fair enough, but there's still a clear fit since Nick Markakis is expected to depart in free agency, and the Braves have plenty of money to spend. Again, never say never.



Minnesota Twins

Derek Wetmore of 1500ESPN speculated at the start of the offseason that the Twins could have as much as $70 million to spend.

A waiver claim of slugger C.J. Cron—who will earn $4.8 million in 2019—has been the team's only notable addition. The money is there, but upgrading the starting rotation is a bigger priority.