Bryce Harper agrees to deal with Philadelphia Phillies

[StevieM]

Source: Washington Post

Outfielder Bryce Harper agreed to a record-setting 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, completing a protracted, four-month journey through free agency and officially ending his seven-year tenure with the Washington Nationals, the franchise that drafted and developed him, brought him to the majors as a teenager in 2012 and watched him blossom into one of baseball’s biggest superstars.

Harper’s deal, which will become official once he passes a physical, with one of the Nationals’ biggest rivals surpassed Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year, $325 million extension with the Miami Marlins in 2014 as the largest contract in the history of major North American sports. But agent Scott Boras fell short of making Harper the game’s highest-paid player by annual salary.

The Phillies had been considered the favorites to sign Harper, 26, for much of the winter, owing in part to a November remark by owner John Middleton, who told USA Today he was willing to be “a little stupid” with his spending this winter. Talks intensified in recent weeks, and the Phillies ultimately held off late efforts by the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.

In recent weeks, the lack of a deal, despite the Phillies’ obvious interest and considerable resources, led to widespread speculation Harper did not want to play in Philadelphia and preferred a West Coast destination, closer to his Las Vegas home. But not only did Harper ultimately choose the Phillies, with a contract that won’t end until after 2031, he also agreed to a deal with a full no-trade clause and no opt-outs — signs that he intends to spend the rest of his career with the team.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/28/bryce-harper-agrees-deal-with-philadelphia-phillies/?utm_term=.e36d3f4061cd

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Bryce Harper playing for the Phillies just feels wrong. I think he would have rather gone to San Diego, but Machado beat him to the punch. Or more accurately, Scott Boras demanded too much money and he missed his chance.

[Demonaut]

1. 330 million? they got off cheap

omg, what has become of the country

[Garion_55]

2. i dont understand how baseball players make this much money

they are playing one of the easiest sports. there are rarely any major injuries. how do they make so much compared to other sports?

[Bradshaw3]

3. Obviously you have never tried to hit a 98 mph fastball

Or a slider, curveball, etc. Hitting major league pitching is one of the - if not the - toughest things to do in sports.

[pangaia]

4. Hitting a major league pitching IS the most difficult thing in sports to do.

Facing a 100 mph fastball, you have about .4 seconds from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand until it crosses the plate. That's less than the time between 2 beats in a Sousa march.

.1 sec to SEE the ball, including picking up the spin on the ball- not just the BALL, but the seams spinning- .15 seconds to decide if you are going to swing, and .15 second to swing..

[jcmaine72]

7. It's hard at any level.

I loved Baseball growing up but just didn't have the innate ability nor the work ethic as a 16-year-old to make it work. Trying to hit a 65-75 mph fastball in high school was hard enough, but it takes a special gift along with years of mucho hard work to be able to hit 90+ mph gas consistently, not to mention the absolutely nasty array of breaking pitching hitters are faced with at the major league level.

That said, Harper's contract is insane. So much for all the highfalutin talk this winter about how MLB was entering a new era of self-imposed fiscal restraint.

[Garion_55]

6. Nor dunk a basketball or get sacked by a 300 lb lineman

That still doesn't explain why a guy in one sport gets 30 million or 60 million but the guys in baseball get 300 million. Why the huge discrepancy?

[Trenzalore]

9. The Player's Union and number of games

Baseball has a better Player's Union than the other sports. They have negotiated better contract rules over the past 30 years.

Also Baseball has more games. A baseball ticket might be a little bit cheaper than an NFL, NBA, or Hockey ticket but there are 80 home games for the owners to sell. This means they also have more games to broadcast and collect ad revenue.

To put this in perspective the Philadelphia Phillies sold 80,000 tickets from 2pm to 5pm yesterday after announcing they had signed Bryce Harper. As long as Harper maintains his level of play the Phillies will profit nicely from the deal as Harper is a draw to the ball park and TV and radio and merchandise. It is always a gamble on any player but right now the Phillies stand to make a lot of money.

[pangaia]

19. salaries are still insane.. talk about wealth inequality...

same with mostly all pro sports at the highest level..

[Trenzalore]

24. Would you rather the owners pocket all the profits?

They pay the contracts because they make money off the players. The Phillies sold 100,000 tickets in 8 hours after signing Harper.

[jalan48]

5. It's entertainment. Leonardo DiCaprio can make $25 million for one film.

[pangaia]

20. just as insane.... talk about income/wealth inequality...

[jalan48]

22. I agree. I used to love watching sports and admit I still watch some. But when I think about

entertainment in the larger context of climate change it's really awful. We want to hide in a fantasy world instead of living in the real world and focusing on what we are leaving for future generations.

[GatoGordo]

23. They are making this much money because someone thinks they are worth it

I haven't gone to a ballpark in years, due to the fact that I simply cannot afford it.

Millionaire players. Billionaire owners.

It will break soon enough.

[radius777]

33. Hitting a round ball with a round bat

is the most difficult thing to do in sports.

There are tons of injuries in baseball, and the season is much longer (162 games) and grueling than any other sport.

[joshdawg]

8. For that kind of money, Harper

better hit 162 home runs, have a perfect 1.000 batting average, win the Golden Glove in all 13 years of his contract, commit no errors, and drive in about 500 runs.

In short, no one, NO ONE is worth that kind of money. Just my humble opinion.

[Trenzalore]

10. They sold 80,000 tickets the 3 hours after announcing he was signed

I don't begrudge Harper for taking a cut of the profits when he will be the one drawing fans to the park, selling jerzees, and bringing in TV viewers.

The alternative is the owner pockets all that money.

[joshdawg]

12. If Harper could do all the things I listed above,

I'd probably buy a ticket to see him play, BUT, he can't...............no one can; therefore, I won't waste my money.
Again, just my humble opinion.

[Trenzalore]

13. It is up to 100,000 tickets as of the morning

You may not pay it but obviously the fans in Philly will.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. LOL Yeah. Here in Philly this is the top story

completely blowing out every other story. And fans were apparently zooming over to Citizen's Bank park right after it was announced to buy tickets. PLUS the news came out during a Phillies Grapefruit League game yesterday and folks there monitoring the talks suddenly started cheering in the middle of the game leaving the players and others confused.

[Trenzalore]

18. It is good for the city

We have a star player on all 4 teams

[BumRushDaShow]

25. But the Flyers just traded Simmonds and Foles is now a free agent

(although I know both are getting past their peak years in age)

1 step forward and 2 steps back? At least Ben Simmons has been a delight.

[Trenzalore]

32. They had to pick

Foles vs. Carson Wentz. Carson Wentz was the second pick of the draft and if he can stay healthy has the more physical raw talent. He is still developing as a leader in the locker room and reading defenses. If they would have made it to the Superbowl last year that pick would have been a very hard one to make but pretty much every front office in the NFL would make it. If Foles goes to Jacksonville next year and wins a Super Bowl there may be a riot in Philly though.

Wayne was a free agent at the end of the season and the Flyers are unlikely to make the playoffs. Someone paid for a rental.

[BumRushDaShow]

35. Yes

Wentz has the talent but the problem IS his chronic injury record going back when he was in college and now here. He is also 26 and coming up on his "peak" years as make or break (he was a bit older when drafted), so unless our offense can really and consistently provide the highest level of protection (and generally they have), then we are going to go through every year where by game 12, he's out for the rest of a season.

It's a shame that the Flyers have suddenly come alive when the odds of getting a playoff slot are so slim.

[pangaia]

21. The real horry of the situation is that he IS worth that kind money... to the owners

but it is in inhuman...

[oldsoftie]

11. Does anyone think this guy will be worth ONE million when he's 40? His record isnt great NOW

Glad its the Phillies and not the braves.

[Trenzalore]

14. The National Leauge will have the DH rule within 3 years.

Plus the last 3 years lower the annual hit which allows them to bring Trout home in 2 years.

[ScratchCat]

28. I understand the ticket sales aspect

but that is where it ends.

He has hit more than 30 HR's twice and only had more than 90 RBI's once;
He is not a .300 batter;
He strikes out 100+ times a year and even his phony WAR score is highly inconsistent.

He's not even a HOFer at this point. I get that he's 26, but no player has ever "taken off" eight years into their career without "the cream and the clear". There's no reason to expect his numbers to significantly increase. Baseball has just gone stupid over the past decade and a half.

[oldsoftie]

30. Pretty much says it all

[StevieM]

31. Jose Bautista comes close.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bautijo02.shtml

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Bautista#2017

As for Harper, I understand that is popular to compare him to JD Drew.

https://www.pitcherlist.com/going-deep-is-bryce-harper-this-generations-j-d-drew/

But I think there is a difference. Harper had a 10 WAR season in 2015. And Harper was on his way to a second MVP award in 2017 when he got injured.

[radius777]

34. Agree, he's overrated, imo.

He may perform well (for Philly's sake I hope he does help to reinvigorate that city) but most of these big contracts turn out to be a disaster, and the owners have wisened up to this, why he and Machado took so long to get signed.

[Javaman]

15. and people used to get pissed off when the Yankees bought their players for big bucks...

this is obscene.

[Blue_Tires]

16. I wanted the Mets to pick him up, but not at this price tag

[bobnicewander]

26. 3 Guys

3 guys first full 7 years - Mays, Mantle, Aaron.

[Stare Decisis]

27. This will make the Pujols contact

look like signing Babe Ruth. His swing will not age well. Very violent with little bat control and as he gets older and starts his swing earlier his massive swing vulnerability (up around the letters) will render him a Dave Kingman. A lot to commit to in order to have a mistake hitter. Was Chris Davis unavailable?

[bobnicewander]

29. Thanks

Great catch Stare. Forget Barry Bonds. Not even close to those we have named.