Getty Bryce Harper celebrates during the 2022 NLCS.
The Philadelphia Phillies have had their hands full with keeping important players around — and Bryce Harper could be next.
With Zack Wheeler’s three-year, $126 million extension getting signed on March 4, there may be another player the front office needs to look at getting extended. Seven-time All-Star Harper has eight years remaining on his record-breaking 13-year, $330 million deal that he signed in 2019. But the 2021 MVP winner still wants an extension that will let him play into his 40s and retire as a Phillie.
“I haven’t really thought too much about that,” Harper said after arriving at camp February 18. “I want to be here for a long time — playing into my 40s. That’s the biggest thing for me. So I want to get that done.”
But Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz wrote on February 26 that Harper lacks leverage to get a contract extension. His decision to include no opt-outs on his 2019 deal showed Philadelphia fans and potential incoming free agents his commitment to the franchise. And there are only eight active players who are under contract longer than Harper, Mintz wrote.
As a result, the Phillies front office is under very little pressure to extend the superstar right now — outside of not wanting to upset the face of their franchise. His contract puts him in Philadelphia until he’s 38 years old.
“I don’t want to just brush it off, by any means,” Dombrowski said last December, according to The Athletic, “but he’s welcome to the thought process and the feelings that they have.”
Zack Wheeler’s Extension Could Finally Let the Phillies Look Into Extending Harper
GettyWheeler pitches during the 2022 World Series.
Even as Harper signaled that he wanted a contract extension with the Phillies so he could play with them into his 40s, he made sure to keep a team-first approach. That’s been his focus ever since 2019, when he signed a contract with no opt-outs.
“Understanding that [Zack Wheeler] is a big one for us right now,” Harper said, according to MLB’s Todd Zolecki in a March 4 story. “But you know, contract negotiations [happen] throughout the season and things like that. So we’ll see what [agent Scott Boras] and [president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski] can come up with.”
Aaron Nola’s extention means the Phillies now have their 1-2 punch for the next few seasons while they push for a World Series title. And with the Phillies likely staying put and not pursuing Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery according to Zolecki, the front office could now focus on extending Harper.
“At this point, I don’t really have any public comment,” Phillies managing partner John Middleton said, according to Zolecki. “Other than what I’ve said, my goal is that he retires as a Phillie. My expectation is that he will retire as a Phillie. We need to get something done, but when we get it done and how it gets done, it’s not clear to me.”
So why would the Phillies front office entertain extending Harper when he’s under contract for eight more years and can’t opt out at any point until then?
Harper’s $330 Million Deal Has Become One Of Baseball’s Biggest Bargains
“Un ****** believable”
“I think I’ve underpaid you.
I said, ‘I’m not sure you can underpay somebody when you give them $330 million, but I’m pretty sure I underpaid you’”
-I asked Phillies owner John Middleton what he told Bryce Harper here
After winning the 2022 NLCS, John Middleton told Harper that he thinks he underpaid him. And the numbers would say he’s right. Harper has remained one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters in recent years, winning the 2021 MVP and performing in the clutch repeatedly during the playoffs. He hit 11 home runs in the Phillies’ 30 postseason games during the last two years.
Harper will make just more than $25 million in 2024, which is the 29th highest salary in baseball. Mintz wrote that Boras knew the MLB market could explode, which is why he encouraged Harper to include opt-outs in the deal so he could restructure the contract to match his current value.
With how much Harper has done to ensure success for the Phillies and embrace the city of Philadelphia, Harper now just “wants that loyalty rewarded, that favor returned,” Mintz wrote. It’s unlikely that much will happen as a result of it for now, but it’s something to keep an eye on moving forward.