Report: Phillies, Harper agree to 13-year, $330M deal
The Philadelphia Phillies are finalizing a contract with superstar outfielder Bryce Harper, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Harper's deal will reportedly be for $330 million over 13 years and won't include any opt-outs, sources told Passan, who adds there will be a no-trade clause attached to the contract.
The 26-year-old didn't want an opt-out included in his deal, a source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
There will also be no deferrals during the life of the contract, reports MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
He'll also receive a $20-million signing bonus, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Contract breakdown
| Year | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $10M* |
| 2020-28 | $26M |
| 2029-31 | $22M |
*Base salary before $20-million signing bonus. Figures courtesy of ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Harper's deal is a new record for overall dollars, topping Giancarlo Stanton's $325-million contract.
Harper will undergo a physical Friday, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. He adds Harper will officially be introduced as a Phillie on Saturday, assuming he passes the test.
A number of teams heavily pursued the 2015 National League MVP during the offseason, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Nationals.
Harper apparently chose the Phillies because the length of the deal allowed him to be in one place, the approach of Phillies owner John Middleton impressed him, and playing at Citizens Bank Park gives him an opportunity for historic achievements, his agent Scott Boras told Sherman.
"We had average values of $45 million offered on shorter-term deals," Boras explained. "We had a full buffet."
Harper is expected to earn $25.3 million annually over the life of the reported contract, which should give the Phillies some additional payroll flexibility.
The extra-long term in Bryce Harper’s 13-year, $330M deal not only ties him to Philadelphia until he’s on the cusp of 40 but was important to Phillies for CBT purposes. The luxury-tax number will be just over $25M, a friendly number for a star player. Gives Phillies flexibility.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 28, 2019
Harper has been one of baseball's elite players since debuting with the Nationals in 2012. The power-hitting outfielder owns a .279/.388/.512 slash line with 184 home runs and 521 RBIs in 927 games during his seven-year career.
It's been a busy offseason for the Phillies, a team that also signed outfielder Andrew McCutchen and reliever David Robertson, while trading for catcher J.T. Realmuto and shortstop Jean Segura.