Philadelphia Phillies Have Not Been Disappointed by Their Historic Signing

The Philadelphia Phillies have received a lot of value on the historic free-agent contract they agreed to in 2019.

Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) hits an RBI single in the eighth inning against the New York Mets during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have consistently been one of the better teams in baseball over the last few years.

A major reason for their success is that they have an ownership group that isn’t afraid to spend money when the opportunity presents itself.

Of course, there are always going to be a few moves that don’t pan out, but for the most part, the Phillies have done a good job of spending intelligently, identifying players who fit what they are looking for to elevate the product on the field.

Following the 2018 campaign, someone they set their sights on was Bryce Harper, who had played against Philadelphia as a National League East foe for seven seasons with the Washington Nationals.

They received a first-hand look at how special of a player he was, making the All-Star team six out of seven years. The NL Rookie of the Year in 2012, debuting at 19 years old, he also won the MVP and Silver Slugger Awards in 2015.

It certainly wasn’t cheap poaching him away from their division rivals, but the Phillies got the job done, agreeing to a historic 13-year, $330 million deal ahead of the 2019 season.

At the time, it was the largest free-agent deal ever signed.

Since that point, it has been surpassed by others, including his former teammate, Juan Soto, who signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets this winter.

That was the second contract to reach $700 million, as Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers hit that number with a 10-year pact ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees agreed to a nine-year, $370 million deal and Manny Machado’s reworked 11-year, $350 million contract with the San Diego Padres are the four deals that surpassed Harper.

Some of those are too early to give a reactionary grade to, as time will tell how things play out.

But, for Philadelphia, they have to be very pleased with how things have turned out for them.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report believes it has been a positive for both sides as well. He gave the historic contract a “B” grade.

“Harper is already almost halfway through the long-term deal he signed with the Phillies, and while he has yet to win a World Series title, he does have 2021 NL MVP honors and 152 home runs with a 149 OPS+ in 3,128 plate appearances to his credit. He is going to surpass some major career milestones before his time in Philadelphia is over.”

The decision to move him to first base full-time in 2023 after experimenting with it in 2021 will add multiple productive years to the end of his career.

Not having to cover the outfield will save his legs and body from the rigors of the marathon MLB season.

It had to sting a little to see the Nationals win a World Series in 2019, his first in Philadelphia after departing. But a championship is certainly within reach for the Phillies, who have a very strong roster and have increased their win total in every 162-game campaign since he has been on the team.