Phillies Insider Has Easy Solution For Harper Contract Extension
Scott Boras made waves in November at MLB’s General Managers meetings. That’s not unusual.
But those waves involved the Philadelphia Phillies and their new first baseman, Bryce Harper.
Harper is Boras’ client. Boras wants what is best for his client. His client, in this case, signed a 13-year, $330 million deal before the 2019 season. At the time, it was one of the richest deals in baseball. And it still is.
But, in average annual money, Harper’s deal is only ranked No. 22 at $27.5 million, per Spotrac.com. Teammate Trea Turner — who just signed his deal last offseason — is nipping at Harper’s heels in AAV.
Boras likes options for his clients, but in Harper’s case, he didn’t get his wish. Harper didn’t want an opt-out. He wanted security. He didn’t want to answer question about going anywhere else.
But that didn’t stop Boras in November from proclaiming that he wants to get his client a contract extension past his current deal, which ends when Harper is 38 in 2031.
Boras isn’t used to this. He doesn’t have a lot of leverage. The Phillies don’t actually have to do anything. Plus, his client has told the media, including The Athletic, how much he loves it in Philly — and his words are not meaningless.
“I absolutely love playing for the Philadelphia Phillies,” Harper told The Athletic earlier this year. “I can’t explain to you how much I love it. And how much I enjoy it. I really can’t. I want to play here until I’m 45 years old, and I really believe that I can.”
Matt Gelb, the Phillies’ reporter for The Athletic, surmised that Boras’ declaration was about trying to create whatever leverage he could since there is no opt-out. Both parties appear happy with one another.
But, with Shohei Ohtani having taken baseball salaries to new heights — $700 million for 10 years, with $680 million deferred to the end of the deal — Harper’s deal is sure to be left behind as it gets closer to its conclusion.
Gelb surmised a solution to the dilemma, one that would likely satisfy both parties and defer any questions about Harper’s future further down the line.
This feels like a situation where the Phillies tack on two years to take Harper to 40 and we never talk about it again. Does money even matter in 2033?
Despite Harper’s injury rehab for his Tommy John surgery after the 2022 postseason, he played in 126 games, slashed .293/.401/.499/.900 with 21 home runs and 72 RBI and helped the Phillies reach the NLCS. Those are the kinds of power numbers you want from a first baseman, which is where Harper is expected to play in 2024 to preserve him physically.
