Yes! Finally, the Harper saga is over, as he has agreed to a record-breaking 13 year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies!
Before we get into how this boosts the Phillies chances in the NL East and Harper's contract, let’s take a look at how the Harper sweepstakes came to a dramatic conclusion.
It should be noted that team Harper was willing to start negotiations at 10 years, $326 million a, and a 3 year opt out.
We knew coming into the final day, that there were 3 teams very into the Harper sweepstakes.
Those teams were the Dodgers, Giants, and Phillies. Yes, the Phillies chances had dropped ever since the Dodgers and Giants entered the ring.
The Dodgers offered him 4 years , $180 million, and though that is not nearly what he wanted , Harper would have gotten the highest AAV ( Average Anual Value) ever at $45 million per year!
The Giants came close to offering Harper what he wanted , as they went as high as 12 years , $310 million, but they would need to go higher in order to land the superstar.
That’s when the Phillies stepped in , as they swooped in and landed Harper for 13 years $330 million, with ZERO opt outs!
Why 13 years straight? Well the Phillies weren’t willing to give Harper one because it wouldn’t help their salary situation, so Harper and the Phillies agreed 3 more years , which means Harper will basically be playing out his career in Philadelphia.
The only way Harper could leave Philadelphia, is if the Phillies trade him , or buy him out which doesn’t seem likely.
Another reason Harper agreed to this mega deal with Philly, is because he wanted to be with one team for the rest of his career, and the Phillies are now it.
Among Harper will be a revamped Phillies team , who also made some other notable acquisitions this offseason to surround Harper . For example Jean Segura, JT Realmunto, Andrew Mccutchen, as well as David Robertson.
These all star acquisitions, too go along with star ace Aaron Nola, and these Phillies have now come out of the MLB basement , as they are ready too contend in the NL pennant race.
Harpers contract is the largest in MLB history in terms of guaranteed money, passing Giancarlo Stanton’s 13 year $325 million with the Miami Marlins in 2015.
It’s also the largest contract ever by a free agent , passing Manny Machados 10 year $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres, as expected.
WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM HARPER DEAL:
Winners:
Phillies: They said they would get at least one of the big free agents by spending “ Stupid Money”, and they did.
Yankees: By not getting Harper or Machado, the Yankees are set for next years FA class when star pitchers like Justin Verlander and Chris Sale are on the market.
Rockies, D Backs, and Padres:
Harper is not heading to the NL West , which is good for the 3 teams that didn’t go all in on him, especially Machado.
Losers:
Braves, Nationals , Mets, Marlins:
The rest of the NL East is torn , now that they must deal with Bryce for another 13 years! Especially Washington, because now they have to get used to facing him, instead of having him on their side.
Dodgers and Giants:
Should the Dodgers have gotten Harper , they would arguably be the World Series favorites even over one of the AL powerhouses, but that wasn’t meant to be.
As for the Giants, they could have gotten a player to base their rebuild around, but that didn’t happen either .
Indians :
They almost traded for Bryce at the trade deadline in July.
Cubs :
Because of their money situation, they couldn’t even afford Harper.
Thoughts:
Wow! Shocked that he went to Philadelphia, but I love the deal even though. It may be 13 years , but I like how they spread the $330 million around, so Harper gets only $25 million a year instead of some crazier number like $45 million.
This long contract leaves the Phillies, with enough room to sighn other big stars in the years that Harper is still with them, like Mike Trout!
As for Harper, he can lead these other young guys , and lead this team to at least multiple NL Championships, which can lead to a World Series coming back to Philadelphia, for the first time since 2008.
Via Bryce Zilinski on Twitter.
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