Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper is staring down six more years on his current 13-year, $330 million contract, but he may want more out of it from his franchise.
Phillies: Bryce Harper may want contract extension to finish career in Philadelphia
According to Bailey Digh of Phillies Nation, Harper has a caveat in his contract that limits the amount of leverage he has at the negotiating table. As a result, the two-time National League MVP may be in search of adding years to his contract to play for close to another decade:
“Harper has hinted at wanting to renegotiate his contract in the past. It was talked about in the media last offseason. Boras publicly mentioned it a few times, too. Back in February, Harper himself talked about the idea (again),” Digh outlined.
Harper’s current deal doesn’t include an opt-out. He didn’t want one. Harper wanted to make sure that whichever franchise he ended up signing with before the 2019 season knew where his priorities landed;
Harper has mentioned wanting to play into his mid-40s. His current contract expires after his age-38 season. So any restructure of his deal would likely come in the form of an extension. Whether or not the Phillies are interested in an extension is unknown.”
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The Phillies are at the doorstep of a World Series with Harper leading the way
Harper, 32, has the Phillies on the precipice of World Series glory. They did not get the job done in 2024 after getting upset by the New York Mets in the NLDS. Nevertheless, Philadelphia goes as the eight-time All-Star goes.
Given that Harper desires to play into his 40s, the Phillies could jump on the opportunity to lock him down for the rest of his career. That is, before they can get blindsided by him. Though the grass is green right now in Philadelphia, that may not always be the case.
The Phillies could benefit from inking him for even longer. In 2024, Harper hit 30 home runs, delivered 87 RBIs, and slashed .285/.373/.525 in 145 games played. He has not shown signs of slowing down and the feasibility of him playing at a high level beyond his late 30s is realistic, even if not at an MVP level. Thus, it may work out for both parties if they come to terms on an extension, before things potentially could unfold and the Nevada native looks elsewhere to finish his career.
