Bryce Harper has a revised Phillies contract on his mind. John Middleton doesn’t want him to think about it.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Since the day that Bryce Harper agreed to play for him, John Middleton’s intention has been that he never play for anyone else. Not ever. Period. Full stop.

So, it doesn’t concern the Phillies owner that Harper, who arrived in the rain Sunday to begin Year 6 of a 13-year contract that once stood as the largest in overall value ($330 million) among North American pro athletes, wants to revise that deal, even though he lacks much of any leverage over the team.

“I’m not worried about that,” Middleton told The Inquirer. “I’m more worried that Bryce is worried about it. Because I don’t want anything to be playing in the back of his mind and distracting him.”

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OK, a quick refresher: When Harper was a free agent in the winter of 2018-19, his agent, Scott Boras, advised that he include an opt-out clause in his next contract. It’s a Boras trademark, a mechanism that enables a player to sign a long-term deal and still keep up with salary inflation.

But Harper took a pass. Worn out from years of incessant questions about what always felt like an inevitable separation from the Nationals and where he would end up next (Yankees? Dodgers? Giants?), he told Boras that he craved stability, not more speculation.

Harper’s first five years with the Phillies couldn’t have gone better. Not only has he put up big numbers, won an MVP award, and smashed 11 postseason homers, including the pennant-clincher in 2022, but he has rewritten the playbook for star athletes in Philadelphia. The guy wears Phanatic-themed cleats, kisses the logo on his jersey after milestone homers, and even name-drops WIP callers in postgame interviews.

All that’s missing now is the Rocky theme as his walk-up music.

It seemed odd, then, when Boras said in December that Harper wants a contract extension, a desire that Harper reiterated when asked about it Sunday.

“I want to be here a long time,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

But why bring it up now, with eight years left on his contract?

Harper restated a goal that he mentioned multiple times last season, including on Aug. 30 after he hit his 300th career home run: He wants to play beyond his 40th birthday. He’s 31 now. He will be 38 when his contract expires after the 2031 season.

“Playing into my 40s, that’s the biggest thing for me,” Harper said. “So, I want to get that done.”

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If it was as straightforward as tacking on a couple of years to the existing deal, it might be up for more immediate consideration. But Boras said Harper recently cited Patrick Mahomes’ restructured contract with the Kansas City Chiefs as an example of what he wants.

Six years after it was signed, Harper’s contract is the eighth-largest in baseball by overall value. But his $25.385 million annual average salary ranks 46th, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, and third among first baseman behind the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman ($27 million) and the Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt ($26 million).

Last year, Manny Machado leveraged the opt-out after four seasons of his 10-year, $300 million deal with the Padres to renegotiate an 11-year, $350 million deal. But without an opt-out, it’s more difficult for Harper to lean on the Phillies.

There isn’t much precedent in baseball for a Mahomes-style contract revision. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, an executive of more than 40 years in front offices, said in December that he has never renegotiated a deal that had more than one year remaining.

It’s a tricky topic. The Phillies don’t want to dismiss the face of their franchise, but they have more pressing issues. Harper seems to get it.

“I understand there are other guys to take care of, right? “ he said. “Wheels [ace Zack Wheeler] is a big one for us right now. We’ll see what Scott and Dave can come up with.”

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For now, the Phillies’ biggest Harper-related decision came in November, when they asked him to move to first base permanently. He volunteered to learn the position on the fly last year after Rhys Hoskins was lost to a season-ending knee injury; Harper made 49 starts, including the postseason.

The Phillies told Harper that they believe he can win a Gold Glove at first base. They also want to optimize for defense in the outfield, with Johan Rojas in center and Brandon Marsh in left.

And for a superstar who wants to play into his 40s and has had back problems over the last few years, moving to first base might help Harper’s longevity by taking less of a toll on his body.

“I haven’t played first base enough, so I don’t know,” Harper said. “I’m comfortable over there.”

Said manager Rob Thomson: “There’s a little bit more movement [at first base], but a lot less running. It’s a lot more sprint work than the long running.”

A year ago, Harper wasn’t even here yet. After an elbow ligament reconstruction in November 2022, he stayed home in Las Vegas to complete his physical therapy before reporting for spring training in early March.

Given a full spring training, Middleton figures Harper could have a “monster year.”

Oh, and about that contract?

“Look, I want Bryce to retire as a Phillie,” Middleton said. “I frankly expect him to retire as a Phillie. I’m hoping for that. And I think we’ll work something out. I don’t know when that’ll be and I don’t know what it’ll be. But I think there’s two people that want it to work, and we’ll find a way.”