There's been a lot of exaggeration and misinformation on social media over the past few days, with random accounts claiming to have inside information on where Bryce Harper is landing.
Just keep in mind that plenty of these accounts exist on Twitter — those that take educated guesses when a decision appears to be nearing and delete the tweet if it doesn't happen. The same thing happened earlier this offseason when Manny Machado's decision appeared to be imminent.
There are many times a reporter hears something and doesn't repeat it because he or she cannot verify it. This is done to serve the fans. It does not serve the fans to repeat every rumbling or to spread information you feel only kinda-sorta-OK about for the sake of retweets.
One interesting, perhaps telling nugget, though, is the movement of the Phillies' World Series odds on a few sportsbooks.
OddsShark now has the Phillies at +1200 to win the World Series, tied with the Cubs and Cardinals for the fifth-shortest odds in baseball. Three weeks ago, OddsShark released its over-under win totals and the Phillies were at 83. The Cubs were at 89 and the Cardinals 88.5.
This is a pretty sizable shift. Some are reading into it that one or more sportsbooks have an idea that Harper is signing with the Phillies. It could also just be sportsbooks assuming the Phillies end up with Harper because they're still regarded as the favorite for either Harper or Machado. In that case, it makes sense for the books to limit their potential exposure and protect themselves with a +1200 figure rather than a much higher one that would drop if/when the Phillies add a superstar.
The Phils are +1100 to win the World Series at DraftKings' sportsbook.
MLB
At Westgate, they're +1400.
At Fanduel, they're +1700.
So again, it's not every sportsbook changing its odds for the Phillies, just a few. Others remain unchanged.
Could mean something. Could mean nothing.
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