Is it too early for a Bruce Harper contract extension?
Somehow one had to know this was coming.
During the baseball winter meetings, Scott Boras, the agent for Bryce Harper, said that his client is looking for a contract extension.
Boras, among the most successful agents, maybe in all of sports, but certainly in baseball, is always looking for top dollar, as he should.
Yet the circumstances suggest that the Phillies should wait a little while—like say, six years.
In 2019, Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million free agent contract with the Phillies. According to Spotrac, Harper signed for an average salary of $25,384.615
When Harper signed the contract, the Associated Press reported the money was guaranteed, while there were also $20 million in potential bonuses. In addition, Harper received a full no-trade provision and there are no opt-outs in the deal.
At the time, it was the largest contract in Major League Baseball. Now, his annual average salary serves as almost tip money for people like Shohei Ohtani, who recently signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to Spotrac, Harper’s salary for 2024 is $27,538,462, which is 22nd among MLB players for the coming season.
One can see why Boras is looking for an extension, but Harper, who turned 31 in October, would be 39 when his current contract expires.
No matter what type of physical condition Harper is in, it’s hard to imagine he will be better at 39 than he is now.
By all accounts, Harper is a great teammate. He greatly helped the Phillies this past season by making the quickest MLB recovery from Tommy John surgery in his elbow—160 days.
Harper not only returned quickly, but volunteered to play a new position—first base. He did so well defensively that he is being penciled in as the Phillies first baseman this season.
We know what Harper has meant to the Phillies franchise. They ended a decade-long playoff drought in 2022 by going to the World Series and this year, appeared headed to another Fall Classic before being upset by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With the Phillies, he has a .284/.395/.536 slash line. His OPS+ is 149, meaning it is 49 percent above the average player. Harper has 122 home runs and 368 RBI.
Harper has been even more impressive for the Phillies in the postseason.
In 30 games, he is hitting .324/.432/705 with 11 home runs and 21 RBI.
Plus, he has become a fan favorite, not only because he plays so hard and so well, but that he has constantly stated how much he enjoys being in Philadelphia.
It would be one thing if there were two, maybe three years left on the deal, but there are eight.
The guess here is that the Phillies will try to accommodate Harper, for all he means to the franchise, but make no mistake—in this case the Phils hold all the power.
The Phillies don’t want to alienate their best player and a likely future Hall of Famer, but they must use reason as well.
Right now, there are priorities such as signing Zack Wheeler to an extension. Wheeler becomes a free agent after the 2024 season.
Still, everybody knows that it’s important to keep a superstar like Harper happy. It’s just that, he should understand that right now there are more pressing needs. This is not the offseason to extend Harper, although it would surprise nobody if it happened.
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Author: Marc Narducci
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