CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper has eight years remaining on the 13-year, $330 million contract he signed in 2019. He has stated that he would like to extend his contract someday.
“Of course I want to be here a long time,” Harper said Sunday morning at Baycare Ballpark. “Let's see what happens.”
Harper arrived at the ballpark Sunday for his sixth spring training with the Phillies. It will be different. The Phillies announced in November that Harper would be their everyday first baseman not only this season, but for as long as he plays for the Phillies through 2031 (when his current contract expires at age 38) or into his early 40s. , if he can get the extension he wants.
“I don't think I'll go back to the right side,” Harper said. “I don't. But never say never.”
Harper volunteered to play first base last year after Reece Hoskins suffered a season-ending ACL injury in March. He debuted in July and played well, with three above-average outs per Statcast and one defensive save per FanGraphs.
The Phillies believe he can win a Gold Glove there.
So President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski and Harper met immediately after Game 7 of the 2023 NLCS. They talked about his future on the field.
“I think we had a really good conversation,” Harper said. “Me and Dombo sat down and he said this is going to be great for our organization. And I said, 'Okay.' Whatever they wanted to do, whether it was right field or first base, I wanted them to know that I was in it. And I told them so. I said, “If you want me in right field, I'll play right field.'' If you want me first, I'll play first base. ” I think all in all, they said, “What we want from you is first base.'' I said, 'Okay, I'll do my best to get there, that's what I want to do.' ”
In addition to earning a new position on a team with World Series hopes, Harper has exceeded all expectations as the face of the franchise and one of baseball's biggest stars. In five seasons with the Phillies, he hit .284/.395/.536 with 122 home runs, 368 RBIs, and a .931 OPS and 149 OPS+. He ranks fourth in on-base percentage, eighth in slugging percentage and sixth in OPS among 151 eligible batters (minimum 1,750 at-bats) over the past five years.
He won the 2021 National League MVP Award. He delivered one of the most iconic moments in franchise history when he hit the game-winning home run of “Bedlam at the Bank” in Game 5 of the 2022 NLCS.
So it may have come as no surprise that Harper's agent, Scott Boras, said Harper wanted a contract extension at the Winter Meetings in December.
“There is no better indicator of when.” [owner] John [Middleton] He himself says it's a great deal,” Boras said. “So that's certainly something we appreciate what he said and I think we all know that to be true.”
When Harper signed his $330 million contract, it was the most lucrative guaranteed contract in North American sports history. Only seven MLB players have signed larger contracts since then, but Harper's average contract value fell to 46th with $25,384,615, according to Cotto's Contracts. Harper could have insisted on opting out of his contract, which would force him to renegotiate it, like Padres third baseman Manny Machado did in 2023, but Harper didn't want to do that.
“I never really thought about it,” Harper said. “I want to be here a long time and play into my 40s. I mean, that's the biggest thing for me. So I want to get it done.”
Mr. Harper and Mr. Boras said they had discussed contract extensions with Mr. Dombrowski. According to that, those arguments don't seem to have reached Middleton.
Dombrowski said little about this. When asked last week, he declined to comment. Asked during the winter meetings, Dombrowski said he has never renegotiated any major league contract with multiple years remaining.
“This declaration does not surprise me in any way,” Dombrowski said. “But other than that…for me, [the] The priority is to get through the winter meetings, finalize the roster and everything else. It takes a long time to get to that point. I never want to ignore it, but he welcomes their thought processes and feelings. ”
Harper was asked Sunday if he would be okay if an extension didn't materialize in the short term, or if he felt it was necessary.
“I mean, I understand you have other guys to take care of, right?” he said. “Understanding the wheel [Zack Wheeler] That's a big thing for us right now.But, contract negotiations [happen] During the season, that sort of thing. So let's see what Scott and Dave come up with. ”
In the meantime, Harper will continue to try to help the Phillies win another World Series. In 2022, they were two wins short. Last year, they fell short by five wins.
“This is a window we have to win,” Harper said. “Our ownership deserves it. Our fans deserve it. Dombrowski deserves it. And so do we. So we went out there and said, We had to play our game and play Philadelphia baseball. And let's see what happens.”
