Superstar slugger Bryce Harper’s decision has dragged out long enough, and it appears he’s finally made up his mind — electing to sign with the Phillies on Thursday, according to reports. Philadelphia fans are already flocking to sites like bet-pa.com to wager on the Phillies to win the World Series.
The Phillies always seemed like the most likely destination, as Harper could remain in the NL East, and could ply his trade in a large city full of passionate sports fans, only hours north of where he began his career, in Washington D.C.
And he got paid — big-time. Superagent Scott Boras made sure his client got paid $5 million more than Giancarlo Stanton, making it the biggest deal in MLB history.
Bryce Harper’s deal with the Philadelphia Phillies will be for $330 million, a new record for overall dollars, topping the $325 million of Giancarlo Stanton, league sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 28, 2019
The 13-year, $330M deal for Harper will include an average annual value of $25.4M – the 14th-highest in major-league history. With no opt-outs, per @JeffPassan and others, massive commitment by #Phillies.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 28, 2019
It’s rumored that the contract will run for 10 years, which is what all the reports leading up to Thursday indicated the Phillies would offer.
This does appear to be the best fit for Harper, as he’s surrounded by both young and veteran talent, on a team that has cap space, and is building a legitimate World Series contender, with not many holes on the roster — similar to what the Nationals once had. Once the Phillies upgrade their pitching, they’ll be the total package, so don’t be surprised if they look to sign Dallas Keuchel (or maybe Craig Kimbrel next).
The Phillies figure to be a contender for years to come, and we expect them to win multiple NL East titles over the next few seasons, and beyond.
Simmons shakes up the narrative
Yessir! Welcome to Philly @Bharper3407 best fans in the world right here. Let’s go! https://t.co/34HNH3mzkS
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) March 1, 2019
The last couple of days have been overwhelming for Philly sports. With the Philadelphia Phillies signing Bryce Harper to the biggest contract in Philly sports, everybody has been on a high. And not just the fans, the athletes as well. When Harper signed on Thursday afternoon, many Philadelphia Eagles players tweeted out their excitement.
As you can see, Eagles wideout Alshon Jeffery tweeted “Philadelphia the place to be!!!” That led to a few other guys responding in agreement. Ben Simmons included. Now, why would a guy who plans on ditching Philly continue to make it known that he loves where he’s at?
The theory doesn’t make much sense. Things can change over time for sure (knock on wood), but right now Simmons has given no other indication that he wants to dart out West when his time is up. Saying Simmons wants out of Philly for L.A. because of LeBron and Kendall is a lazy narrative. Find a new slant, people.
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