The Hall of Fame Contract

Bryce Harper reaches a deal with the Phillies for 13 years.

“We had average values of $45 million offered on shorter-term deals,” Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, told the New York Post. “We had a full buffet.”

MLB Network was the first to report that Harper and the Phillies were closing in on an agreement.

“The goal was to get the longest contract possible,” Boras told the Post. “Bryce wanted one city for the rest of his career. That is what I was instructed to do. It is very difficult in this time to get length of contract that takes a player to age 37, 38, 39.”

ESPN.com

I suspect a guarantee of playing time, rather than stability of place might be the bigger consideration here. Accumulating counting is a great way to get into the Hall of Fame, and that is easier to do if one plays for a long time. Harper will play through his seasonal age 38 season, barring a career ending injury. He’ll play in a park that is good for home runs, and Harper slugged .564 at Citizen’s Bank Park in his career. He is likely to put up big numbers for a long time, and Philadelphia should be a good place for that.

The Phillies have now assembled a pretty impressive team. The NL is looking really good, with the exception of the Marlins and the Giants. All three divisions are going to be tough to call.

from baseballmusings.com https://ift.tt/2IGIBfj