Bryce Harper is committed to Philly. How much will it cost the Phillies to keep him here forever?

Dave Dombrowski has never in his long career torn up an existing contract and restructured it. But Harper is far from a typical case.

The Phillies have gone from postseason outsiders to a World Series contender with Bryce Harper leading the way.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

by Scott Lauber

Published Dec. 7, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

NASHVILLE — In negotiating Bryce Harper’s 13-year megacontract with the Phillies, agent Scott Boras advised his star client to include a clause that would enable him to opt out after a few years, reenter free agency, and sign a new deal that reflected inflation and other market forces.

Harper’s response: No thanks.

In 2019, Harper had other priorities. He wanted to put down roots in a new city, commit to an organization, and recruit other star players to join him. He has followed through. The Phillies went from postseason outsiders to a World Series contender, with No. 3 leading them from the No. 3 spot in the batting order.

But there wasn’t much doubt about Harper’s desire when he recently mentioned to Boras that he wants to play in Philadelphia for the rest of his career — and that he wants a contract extension to match that devotion. Harper wants to play into his 40s; his contract expires after his age-38 season.

“He feels that he’s been there five years, he’s showed them who he is and why he is a franchise player,” Boras said Wednesday at baseball’s winter meetings. “I think he’s changed in the player community how players view Philadelphia. Consequently, he came and said, ‘This is something I want off my mind. I want to know this is done because I know that I want to play well beyond the contract that I have.’”

The timing of the request is unusual. Harper’s $330 million contract runs through 2031, so there would seem to be little need for urgency on the Phillies’ part.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski doesn’t discuss contract talks and wouldn’t divulge whether he has met with Boras about Harper. In a text message, Phillies owner John Middleton said he doesn’t want Harper to play for another team.

“My intention is for Bryce to never wear another jersey but ours,” Middleton wrote, reiterating what he told USA Today at the owners’ meetings last month, “and when he retires, for him to continue to work with us as Mike Schmidt has.”

Boras said Harper cited the case of Patrick Mahomes, who recently restructured his deal with the Kansas City Chiefs and will reportedly make $210.6 million through 2026, the most in NFL history over a four-year span.

At the moment, Harper has the 24th-highest average annual salary in baseball at $25.384 million. That mark will be eclipsed this winter by several free agents, including Shohei Ohtani and possibly Cody Bellinger.

When Harper hit the pennant-clinching homer in the 2022 National League Championship Series, Middleton said, only half-jokingly, that Harper might be underpaid.

Boras doesn’t need to be reminded of that comment.

“There’s no better metric than when John himself says that it’s a great bargain,” Boras said. “That’s certainly something that we appreciate him saying, and I think all of us know it’s true.”

Harper’s value to the Phillies goes beyond his production on the field, which, incidentally, has been more than even team officials expected. He has batted .284/.395/.536 with 122 homers in five seasons and won the 2021 NL MVP award. In the last two postseasons, he’s a .324/.432/.705 hitter with 11 homers.

But Harper also lobbied for the Phillies to re-sign J.T. Realmuto after the 2020 season. He stumped for free agents Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, and Trea Turner. And he volunteered to learn to play first base last season while rehabbing from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Harper has advocated for the promotion of prospects. Some panned out (Bryson Stott); others didn’t (Spencer Howard). When the Phillies took Mick Abel in the first round of the 2020 draft, Harper asked for the young pitcher’s phone number to FaceTime him on draft night.

“He’s extremely driven to be successful,” Dombrowski said of Harper. “That’s not going to change. That’s him. He loves Philadelphia. He loves the city. He loves the atmosphere. He loves being part of the organization. I have grown to know those things and admire them about him.”

You might say Harper has been everything the Phillies dreamed when they signed him to, at the time, the largest free-agent contract in baseball history. Since then, six players have signed larger deals, including Aaron Judge in free agency.

Harper would have all the leverage over the Phillies in a renegotiation — if he agreed to the opt-out clause that Boras has negotiated for so many of his clients since Alex Rodriguez in 2001.

“Apart from my advice he goes, ‘I just want to go and make sure that I can recruit players to Philadelphia. I want the fans of Philadelphia to know that I’m going to be there for the duration, and that I’m committed,’” Boras said. “And I think that’s been an important voice for them to attract major free agents and other players.”

Dombrowski said he has never in his long career restructured a contract with multiple years remaining on it. But Harper also isn’t a typical case, given what he has come to mean to the organization.

“Bryce has certainly expressed to them that he wants to end his career in Philadelphia,” Boras said. “I told Dave that I think Bryce is a franchise player.”

That’s inarguable. The question now is how much it will cost to make Harper a Phillie forever.