Bryce Harper reveals he didn't want to play on West Coast, explains why originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com

The Giants made a serious offer to Bryce Harper. They thought they had a legit shot to land the prized free agent this winter.

But based on a new story published by the Washington Post ahead of Harper's first game back in Washington, it appears the new Phillies outfielder didn't want to come to the Giants or the Dodgers or the Padres or anywhere remotely close to Las Vegas.

"I really didn't want to play out West," Harper told The Post. "It's a little close to Vegas, you know what I'm saying? I love my family. But I love the East Coast as well. I love the vibe there, the intensity, the way ‘Sunday Night Baseball' is actually at night. Stuff like that mattered."

Sunday Night Baseball played a part in Harper's decision? Really? OK, Bryce. Sure.

According to the story, Harper's agent, Scott Boras, called him at 9 a.m. on Feb. 28 to inform him of the Phillies' 13-year, $330 million contract offer. Harper wanted to know if the Giants had called back to make a final offer. They hadn't.

But even if the Giants had called, according to Harper, he knew the moment Boras called that he had a new home, and he told his wife that.

"I kind of hugged Kayla and said, ‘We're going to Philly,' " Harper told The Post.

[RELATED: Hitting at Oracle wasn't a factor for Harper]

We'd like to ask Mr. Harper what he would have done if Boras called an hour later and said the Giants had topped the Phillies' offer. We're very curious about that.