Bryce Harper and agent Scott Boras are talking to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski about a possible extension, according to John Clark of NBC Sports.
Harper, 31, has stated time and time again that he wants to stay in Philadelphia for the rest of his career.
Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million ($25.38/year) contract back in 2019, and it is safe to say he has quickly outplayed the value of that deal.
Since his arrival, he has won an MVP, NLCS MVP, two silver sluggers, one Hank Aaron award, and made the all-star team. His presence in the clubhouse has helped the team come back to relevancy, and he’s a big reason why the Phillies have made the NLCS in back-to-back seasons.
With all of his accolades, what would an extension look like?
Harper’s Contract
He is going into the fifth year of the contract with a little over $200 million left on it. I can see them adding around two to three years on the contract and about $35 million per year.
Bryce Harper did not want a backloaded contract when looking for a team in 2019, and he won’t want any money backloaded this time. He took a discount, knowing he’d outplay the deal and get an extension when the contracts for other players started to skyrocket.
Like the backloaded money, I don’t see him taking another big discount. Perhaps he takes less than expected, but not as much as the current deal. John Middleton said, “I’m not sure how you can underpay somebody when they’re making $330 million, but I’m pretty sure I underpaid you” while the Phillies were celebrating their NLCS win in 2022.
Overall Opinion
Bryce Harper brought the organization back to relevancy at the big league level. Before 2022, the Phillies hadn’t made the playoffs since 2011. The moves they have made since, and because of, his arrival are why the Phillies are currently seventh in World Series odds, according to ESPN Bet.
Whatever Bryce Harper wants in his extension, he has earned. I don’t see the extension happening, at least until the Phillies extend Zack Wheeler, but anything is possible.
Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
