It was all about the money, because of course it was. It almost always is. All the noise about the Dodgers being in play for Bryce Harper was just that — noise.

The Dodgers reportedly were willing to pay Harper the most ever on an annual basis, but the Phillies blew them out of the water, giving Harper the largest baseball contract ever, a whopping 13-year, $330 million deal, and that paid off in the end.

There had been reports in recent days that Harper didn’t want to play for the Phillies, and the Dodgers and Giants were serious suitors. They had met with Harper and agent Scott Boras recently, the Giants on Tuesday and the Dodgers last Sunday. Their proximity to his home in Las Vegas surely helped.

But the Phillies stepped up with huge, unprecedented money, and the Harper sweepstakes finally came to a close with him ending up in Philadelphia, just as many experts had predicted.