After months of speculation, Bryce Harper has finally signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, to the tune of 13 years and $330 million. It's the most total money for a contract in MLB history. On Saturday at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Fla., the home for the Phillies' spring training games, Harper was officially introduced as a Phillie.
A six-time All-Star, 2012 National League Rookie of the Year and 2015 NL MVP, Harper has combined to slash .279/.388/.512 over 927 games in his major league career. Harper, 26, appeared in 159 games for the Washington Nationals and batted .249 with 34 home runs, a career-best 100 RBI, a major league-leading 130 walks, a .393 on-base percentage and a .496 slugging percentage last season. CBS Sports ranked Harper as the No. 1 available free agent this winter.
Harper, along with his agent, Scott Boras, Phillies owner John Middleton and general manager Matt Klentak all took questions from the media, and we finally got our first look at Harper in red pinstripes.
Bryce Harper trying on his new jersey. #Phillies #springtraining2019 #mlb pic.twitter.com/dVXEQGIxPt
— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) March 2, 2019
Harper had a chance to elaborate on his record-setting contract and why he ultimately chose the city of Philadelphia.
Harper: "I'm gonna grow my family in this city ... I can't wait to be part of the Phillies for a long period of time."
— The Good Bryce (@TheGoodPhight) March 2, 2019
The absolute money quote: "I wanna be part of this organization, I don't wanna go anywhere else. I wanna be part of this family, this Philly nation. Through the bumps, the bruises, the good the bad, I wanna be here."
— The Good Bryce (@TheGoodPhight) March 2, 2019
Bryce Harper on his $330 million deal
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) March 2, 2019
“Baseball’s worth $11.5 billion (annually), so I think some of that should go to the players”
A big part of why the Phillies were able to sell Harper such a huge commitment to their team was because of their emphasis on family. But another reason why Harper wanted to stay in Philly through his age-38 season is because he wants to recruit other players to join him in Philly. He even alluded to one during the press conference…
“I know there’s another guy in about two years who comes up off the books. We’ll see what happens with him.”
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) March 2, 2019
Bryce Harper elaborates on how his record-setting contract still allows the Phillies financial flexibility to bring in other players. pic.twitter.com/hC17HFbxGc
“I know there’s a guy in about two years who comes off the books, so we’ll see what happens there.”
— Kristen Rodgers (@KristenERodgers) March 2, 2019
Feels like Harper is already thinking about Mike Trout to Philly 👀 pic.twitter.com/9PVP2dFOfN
Angels superstar Mike Trout went to high school in Millville, N.J., which is just about an hour south of Philadelphia, and he is a die-hard Eagles fan. Trout is two years away from entering the open market, unless the Angels are able to finalize an extension with him before then.
Harper's contract does not include any opt-out clauses, option years, or deferred money. It is a straight 13-year deal worth $330 million. Harper does get full no-trade protection, however. He spoke about his preference for signing a deal with no opt-outs.
Harper confirms he didn’t want an opt out from the start of the process. Said he wanted to grow roots.
— Brittany Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) March 2, 2019
“I wanted to be able to dig my roots somewhere.”
— Kristen Rodgers (@KristenERodgers) March 2, 2019
Bryce Harper on why he didn’t want an opt-out. He knows you can’t win every single game for 13 years, but he wants to help cultivate a team through the bumps and bruises. pic.twitter.com/y7CoL90fs6
During his seven years with the Washington Nationals, Harper wore No. 34 but on Saturday, he told reporters that he will wear No. 3 for the Phillies because he believes the late Roy Halladay should be the last one to wear Harper's old number in Philly. Halladay will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum this July.
Bryce Harper wore 34 in Washington, now 3 in Philly.
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) March 2, 2019
“I thought Roy Halladay should be the last one to wear it ... He’s 34. He represents that number in Philly.”
Why No. 3️⃣?
— Kristen Rodgers (@KristenERodgers) March 2, 2019
Bryce Harper says he thought Roy Halladay should be the last one to wear No. 34.
But No. 3 is a family number. Dad and brother wore it in high school and mom was No. 13. pic.twitter.com/5yHkAJbfpj
