Phillies want Bryce at 1B and that’s just fine with him
It's first things first for Bryce Harper. Eying a contract extension that would take him into his 40s, Harper said Sunday he's ready to do whatever's necessary to help Philadelphia win now — including a full-time move to first base.
The two-time MVP primarily played right field over his first 11 seasons but, upon returning from Tommy John surgery, started 36 games at first base in 2023.
Harper was filling in at first base for the injured Rhys Hoskins, who has since signed with the Brewers. Over the offseason, Harper met with Phillies president of baseball operations David Dombrowski, who communicated that the organization wants the slugger to remain at first base.
“We sat down and he said, ‘This would be great for our organization,' and I said, OK,” Harper said Sunday upon arriving at spring training in Clearwater, Fla.
“I wanted them to know that I was on board with anything they wanted to do. … I said, ‘If you want me in right field, I'll play right. If you want me at first, I'll play first base.' I think, as a collective, they said, ‘First base is where we want you,' and I said, ‘OK, I'm going to do everything I can to be there.' ”
Sunday's commitment echoed prior comments by Dombrowski, who said in November the Phillies envisioned the willing Harper as an “outstanding” first baseman and planned to keep him there.
Harper, 31, is entering the sixth season of a 13-year, $330 million contract with Philadelphia that takes him to age 38. On Sunday, Harper said he wants to remain with the Phillies “for a long time” and said playing into his 40s is “the biggest thing for me.”
Harper, a seven-time All-Star in his 12 seasons between the Nationals and Phillies, is only the 19th-highest paid MLB player in terms of average annual salary at $25.4 million. Harper's 306 career home runs rank 10th among active players. Each of the nine players ahead of him – including the Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, whose 402 homers make him the active leader – is older than Harper.
MCMICHAEL IMPROVING
Bears great Steve McMichael is improving after contracting a staph infection at a suburban hospital, and his family hopes he returns home early this week, his wife said Sunday in a statement.
The 66-year-old McMichael, who went public with an ALS diagnosis three years ago, has been hospitalized since Thursday. His family hopes to have him home on Tuesday, wife Misty McMichael said.
Steve McMichael was admitted into intensive care on Thursday — a week after he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame — with a urinary tract infection. The family announced Saturday he had developed MRSA, a staph infection that can be difficult to treat.