Bryce Harper...

[wapiti]

13 years is a long time for anybody.

No opt-outs for Harper is a huge miss from Boras.

$25.4 annually, tells me the market wasn't as hot as most hoped. Machado gets more per year.

A no trade-clause for Harper tells me that when he is in year 15 at 34 years old and on the decline with 5 years left on his deal. He is making Philly pay him every last penny.

Finally, he really is not that good. WAR under 1.5 in 2 out of the last 3 years. His dWAR is -3.0 for his career, so he is a liability defensively. I won't bash his .249 average because he does get on base at a very high rate. But his statistical comps per baseball reference are Richard Hidalgo, Glenallen Hill, Corey Hart, and Trot Nixon. Did any of them get $330 million?

I think he's better than his numbers the last three years, but the reasons you sited are why this wasn't a $400MM deal. The biggest concern is his defense last year. He was an above average defender early in his career but has fallen off. At his age, that shouldn't happen.

Still, I like the deal for the Phillies. He's going to anchor this team for the next 6 - 8 years. It will be a problem the last 5 years of the deal but they won't care if they are a fixture in the postseason until then.

[Surfah]

Morosi said yesterday the Dodgers offered Bryce 4 years $45M per. If true, I can't believe he and Boras didn't take that.

[originalsocal]

Morosi said yesterday the Dodgers offered Bryce 4 years $45M per. If true, I can't believe he and Boras didn't take that.

I agree. This was more about the $320M overall. What a punk. Both Giants and Dodgers should be glad they didn't land him.

[Green Monstah]

13 years is a long time for anybody.

No opt-outs for Harper is a huge miss from Boras.

$25.4 annually, tells me the market wasn't as hot as most hoped. Machado gets more per year.

A no trade-clause for Harper tells me that when he is in year 15 at 34 years old and on the decline with 5 years left on his deal. He is making Philly pay him every last penny.

Finally, he really is not that good. WAR under 1.5 in 2 out of the last 3 years. His dWAR is -3.0 for his career, so he is a liability defensively. I won't bash his .249 average because he does get on base at a very high rate. But his statistical comps per baseball reference are Richard Hidalgo, Glenallen Hill, Corey Hart, and Trot Nixon. Did any of them get $330 million?

No, but Trot frickin' Nixon deserved it!

[Green Monstah]

Russell M. Nelson and the Presiding Bishop be like "Cha-CHIIIIING!"

[DrumNFeather]

I like Bryce Harper. He works hard and he plays the game hard. He's arrogant but I like personality in sports stars. He is fun to watch and will sell tickets.

Having said that, I'm disappointed he's in Philly. 13 years/$330MM. I'm guessing he wishes he'd taken the 10 years/$300MM the Nationals offered in September. It will be hard to root for him in a Phillies uniform.

Unlike most fans I have seen, I do not think this contract will be an albatross like Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols for a few reasons. One, Harper is younger and I think he's going to be crazy good the next 5 years. Two, the next CBA will be more player friendly, making contracts like this one less onerous. Three, the annual salary, at $25.4MM, isn't that high for a 26 YO, 6-time all star.

Phillies fans should be excited for this deal. While the rest of the league is playing possum with free agency, the Phillies took advantage. Hopefully their young talent doesn't materialize or this team will be a force.

The Nationals did to Bryce what the Redskins did to Kurt Cousins...offered him a terrible deal that they knew he would turn down and said "hey, we tried." There's some hubris in that, to be sure.

The $300 million they offered him had $100 million in deferred money, which he would still be getting when he is 60. The Nats did similar contracts for Scherzer (14 year deal - 7 actually with the team) and Strasburg, who is made of glass.

It's unfortunate that his time in Washington will ultimately be a blip on his career, and he had the potential to be an all-timer among DC sports athletes. The Nats believe (and time will tell if they are right) that they grow superstars on trees in their farm system because of how well Juan Soto played when he came up, and they are hoping Victor Robles can do the same.

The pressure is on both squads now to go out and prove they made the right move.

If I were the Nats, I'd go sign Dallas Keuchel and really bolster the starting rotation. They're going to need it.

[wapiti]

Morosi said yesterday the Dodgers offered Bryce 4 years $45M per. If true, I can't believe he and Boras didn't take that.

The problem for Harper is his numbers are so inconsistent year to year. The last 4 years his BA is .283. But in none of the 4 years has he been within 30 points of that. The swings in his WAR are even more dramatic. Historic WAR as a rookie. Historic WAR in 2015. But three years where he was at replacement level. The uncertainty in his performance forced him to take the long-term guaranteed $$$. If he has a stinker in his age 29 season, who knows what his value will be for his 30's. The Phllies contract basically values those years at $150MM.

[myboynoah]

Dang, dude is kicking butt. He has been clutch in the playoffs. That 8th inning HR was crazy.

[clackamascoug]

The problem for Harper is his numbers are so inconsistent year to year. The last 4 years his BA is .283. But in none of the 4 years has he been within 30 points of that. The swings in his WAR are even more dramatic. Historic WAR as a rookie. Historic WAR in 2015. But three years where he was at replacement level. The uncertainty in his performance forced him to take the long-term guaranteed $$$. If he has a stinker in his age 29 season, who knows what his value will be for his 30's. The Phllies contract basically values those years at $150MM.

He's already earned his ten-year contract - they might even bump and round off to another ten in the off season.