Live free agency updates: Gabe Kapler says he 'really bonded' with Bryce Harper during Vegas meeting

Every day, it seems like the amount of time we'll have to wait for Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado to sign a contract with any team grows longer, rather than shorter. We should be getting closer to the finish line, but instead, it feels quite the opposite. 

So, we do what we always do and we over analyze every report, every sentence, every word possibly signaling that one of those two players will be in red pinstripes next season. The latest? Phillies manager Gabe Kapler was interviewed by MLB Network's Brian Kenny and naturally the conversation touched on the team's meeting with Harper, his wife and agent Scott Boras last weekend in Las Vegas.

According to Kapler, he and Harper "really bonded" over, among other things, food and, of course, working out.

"We just hit it off," Kapler said Thursday on MLB Network. "He's an easy guy to talk to and he certainly is especially competitive."

Kapler, who matches Harper in intensity, said they joked about an incident last summer in a game between the Washington Nationals and Phillies when Harper talked an umpire into changing a foul ball call on a check swing.

"Now I think it's kind of funny; then I was really upset," Kapler said. "We both got a good laugh out of that."  [espn.com]

You can watch the full video here:

Now, onto the latest free agency news and trade rumors surrounding the Phillies (and the rest of MLB for that matter).


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