Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Harper, Phillies reach 13-year agreement
NEW YORK — It took a long time and a lot of money, but the Philadelphia Phillies finally landed Bryce Harper with a record contract.
The young star outfielder and the Phillies agreed Thursday to a $330 million, 13-year contract, the largest deal in baseball history.
Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, said the deal was agreed to shortly before noon, subject to a successful physical.
Phillies Manager Gabe Kapler and his players learned of the agreement from fans behind Philadelphia’s dugout who saw media reports on their mobile devices during a spring training game in Clearwater, Fla.
“If the reports are true, it’s a huge moment for our baseball team,” Kapler said Thursday. “Certainly I think that the city of Philadelphia would embrace Bryce Harper. I think he would be very happy in this city because our fans care deeply about winning.”
A 26-year-old All-Star who had spent his entire big league career with the Washington Nationals, Harper topped the $325 million, 13-year agreement outfielder Giancarlo Stanton reached before the 2015 season with the Miami Marlins.
“Harp’s goal was he wanted the largest contract and he wanted his value,” Boras said. “He wanted the largest length he could get because he really wanted to stay in one city and one uniform, wanted to get a ballpark he hit well in, saw the ball well.”
Harper has a .279 career average with 184 home runs and 521 RBI, including a .268 average with 14 home runs, 32 RBI and a .930 OPS in 47 games at Citizens Bank Park. He likely would hit third or fourth, according to Kapler.
“We get a whole lot better on the field,” the manager said. “Bryce Harper is a sensational teammate.”
Harper’s agreement tops the previous high for a free agent, set last week when infielder Manny Machado signed a $300 million, 10year deal with the San Diego Padres. Harper’s average annual value of $25.4 million ranks 14th in baseball history, well below the high of $34.1 million set by Arizona pitcher Zack Greinke as part of a $206.5 million, six-year contract that started in 2016.
Harper gets a $20 million signing bonus payable this
spring, a $10 million salary this year, $26 million in each of the following nine seasons and $22 million in each of the last three years. None of the money is deferred, and he gets a full no-trade provision.
Philadelphia has been among the most active teams this offseason, adding outfielder Andrew McCutchen for $50 million over three years and reliever David Robertson for $23 million over two years, and acquiring catcher J.T. Realmuto and shortstop Jean Segura. The Phillies also gave ace Aaron Nola a $45 million, four-year deal.
After leading their division in early August, the Phillies went 16-33 over the final 49 games of last season and at 80-82 finished with a losing record for the sixth consecutive season. Harper will return to his old home in the season’s second week, when the Phillies play at the NL East rival Nationals on April 2 and 3.
San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers had also pursued Harper in recent weeks. Boras said shorter-term offers had average annual values as high as $42.5 million.
Harper has been an AllStar in six of seven big league seasons and was the unanimous winner of the 2015 NL MVP award.
An up-and-down defender and an unusual mix of popular and polarizing, Harper is known for the occasional contretemps with opponents, one particular exchange with a reporter
about a “clown question,” and, most infamously, a dugout dustup in which he was choked by then-teammate Jonathan Papelbon during a game.
Washington took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft and called him up to the majors less than two years later at age 19. He would go on to become the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year for a Nationals club that won its first division title and made its postseason debut.
Harper was also an integral part of the team that added NL East titles in 2014, 2016 and 2017 and never finished lower than second place in his seven seasons. Another key stat, though: The Nationals never won a playoff series in that span.
His best year was 2015, when at age 22 he hit .330 with 42 home runs, 99 RBI, 118 runs and 124 walks, amassing an OPS of 1.109.
Last year, he hit 34 home runs and produced a career-high 100 RBI while walking 130 times, although his batting average dipped to .249. He started more than a third of his games in center field instead of his usual spot in right because of injuries to teammates.
The Nationals made Harper an offer toward the end of last season — a $300 million, 10-year contract that included $100 million in deferred money that Harper would have not entirely received until he was 60. The offer no longer was on the table after free agency opened without an agreement.