Harper can earn rich bonuses in new deal

NEW YO R K It turns out US$330 million may not be all the Philadelphia Phillies pay Bryce Harper. To entice him, the team agreed to bonus provisions in the 13-year contract. According to contract details obtained by The Associated Press, Harper would earn an extra $50,000 each time he’s an all-star, wins a Gold Glove or a Silver Slugger, or is selected League Championship Series MVP. A World Series MVP trophy would be worth an additional $100,000.

He would get $500,000 if he’s league MVP, $50,000 for finishing second in the voting, and $25,000 for third.

Harper has been an all-star in six of seven big league seasons and was a unanimous pick for the NL MVP award in 2015, the same year he earned his only Silver Slugger. In addition, he gets a hotel suite on road trips and the right to purchase a suite for games at Citizens Bank Park.

Harper and the Phillies agreed to the contract Thursday, pending a successful physical. The deal is the highest in baseball history, topping the $325-million, 13-year contract agreed to by outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and the Miami Marlins before the 2015 season. Stanton was traded to the New York Yankees before the 2018 season. Harper’s bonus structure is similar to the provisions in the contract of Phillies pitcher Jake Arrieta, who agreed to a $75 million, three-year deal last March. Harper and Arrieta use the same agent, Scott Boras.

Harper gets a $20-million signing bonus in equal instalments this June 1 and Nov. 1, 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.