Wire Taps: Nationals hire Jack McKeon; Day in Bryce Harper to Philly rumors; Washington has a sneaky good offseason...

So, after all that, Bryce Harper didn’t sign yesterday. Again. There seems to be a pattern developing here. On the bright side, 16 days until pitchers and catchers report!

Here’s the deal from down South in Florida:

Why Isn’t Anyone Bidding for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado? (NYT)
"I possess no proof the current generation of extremely rich owners have acted as stupidly as their predecessors. For now the flaccid free-agent market is simply … odd... Harper and Machado are not Pujols. Each man is entering his golden prime and with a reasonable expectation they will produce at a high level for many seasons to come."

MLB teams having unexpectedly good offseasons (MLB.com)
There shouldn't be anything sneaky about the Nats' offseason: Patrick Corbin, Trevor Rosenthal, Yan Gomes, and Brian Dozier are more than enough to set off the alarms. But since it hasn't included Harper, it's still sneaky, and they have a great shot to reclaim the NL East crown.

Today Was Somehow The Stupidest Day Yet In The Bryce Harper Sweepstakes (Deadspin)
Everyone thought they had figured it out: that Harper was signing in Philly. The graphics were made. The bets were closed. And then... it obviously didn't happen.

DC, Philly police ‘duel’ over Bryce Harper (WTOP)
The Philly Police offered Harper a multi-year deal starting at $51,245, which the DC MPD topped with a $58,163 deal including benefits.

How many homers would Bryce Harper hit at Citizens Bank Park? Let's take a look (NBC Sports Philly)
Harper would hit 26 or 27 homers, just in home games. Yeah, the Phillies probably should want Harper.

The Nats just hired 88-year-old Jack McKeon as senior advisor (NBCSW)
McKeon, who managed the Marlins to a World Series before being fired in the early days of the Jeter administration, will get a paycheck and influence the front office in Washington.

How Nationals fans braced for potential Bryce Harper news (NBCSW)
The tweets.... they were good. #BoycottWawa

The Weirdest Walk-Up Songs in Major League Baseball (Baseball Essential)
The Nats, believe it or not, have three former representatives here — including Michael Morse, Zach Walters, and Xavier Nady.

New Fresno Grizzlies jerseys!