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Bryce Harper....

Where does Harper end up? Did this season go so badly that he'll have no choice but to re-up with the Nats?
 
Where does Harper end up? Did this season go so badly that he'll have no choice but to re-up with the Nats?

As a HUGE Nats fan, I was resigned over a year ago to the fact he wouldn't resign with the Nats. Been all over the board whether that is a good thing or not. Just in the last couple of weeks it is looking like the Nats are back as a choice. I'd say take him if you can. But the Nats will certainly be fine without him. And watching him in DC everyday during the season , he is a fine player and a fine person. He has matured. He isn't the bad dude everyone thinks he is. His defense has started to lag though. But they need him as a hitter anyway. No more running into walls in the outfield.
 
As a HUGE Nats fan, I was resigned over a year ago to the fact he wouldn't resign with the Nats. Been all over the board whether that is a good thing or not. Just in the last couple of weeks it is looking like the Nats are back as a choice. I'd say take him if you can. But the Nats will certainly be fine without him. And watching him in DC everyday during the season , he is a fine player and a fine person. He has matured. He isn't the bad dude everyone thinks he is. His defense has started to lag though. But they need him as a hitter anyway. No more running into walls in the outfield.

Yeah, I’m torn. A large part of me doesn’t want that kind of money locked up into anyone. That said, the bigger picture says sign him. By the end of his contract there will be a handful of players who make more than that. Then you factor in merchandise and apparel sales. Yeah, you sign him if you can, but I don’t feel all that great about it. It’s looking a little more promising that he will be a National.

Nats really need to sign Dozier. If they sign Harper and Dozier, they are going to be a pretty damn good ball club this year.

Long term, I think you bring Harper in to play 1B and phase out Zimmerman. I hate to say it because he’s Mr. Nat, but you have to. Also, signing Harper means that keeping Rendon will be hard. But, when Carter Keiboom moves up next year, Dozier could slide to 3rd.
 
Yeah, I’m torn. A large part of me doesn’t want that kind of money locked up into anyone. That said, the bigger picture says sign him. By the end of his contract there will be a handful of players who make more than that. Then you factor in merchandise and apparel sales. Yeah, you sign him if you can, but I don’t feel all that great about it. It’s looking a little more promising that he will be a National.

Nats really need to sign Dozier. If they sign Harper and Dozier, they are going to be a pretty damn good ball club this year.

Long term, I think you bring Harper in to play 1B and phase out Zimmerman. I hate to say it because he’s Mr. Nat, but you have to. Also, signing Harper means that keeping Rendon will be hard. But, when Carter Keiboom moves up next year, Dozier could slide to 3rd.
You can always put Harper back at catcher if you don’t want him running around the outfield.
All I know is my team won’t sign him. :(
 



Yeah, I’m torn. A large part of me doesn’t want that kind of money locked up into anyone. That said, the bigger picture says sign him. By the end of his contract there will be a handful of players who make more than that. Then you factor in merchandise and apparel sales. Yeah, you sign him if you can, but I don’t feel all that great about it. It’s looking a little more promising that he will be a National.

Nats really need to sign Dozier. If they sign Harper and Dozier, they are going to be a pretty damn good ball club this year.

Long term, I think you bring Harper in to play 1B and phase out Zimmerman. I hate to say it because he’s Mr. Nat, but you have to. Also, signing Harper means that keeping Rendon will be hard. But, when Carter Keiboom moves up next year, Dozier could slide to 3rd.

I know Dozier signed after your post, but it's a one year deal, correct?
 



Good luck. That’s a ton of money.

Before I get into the numbers, I'll mention that this contract was structured for the Phillies to pursue Mike Trout when he becomes a free agent in two seasons. Harper was very much on board with that. Trout is about as Philadelphia as a person can get, and it wouldn't be a tough sale. If not Trout, they'll have plenty of room for future additions -- even this season.

To note: The Phillies are currently outside of the top ten highest payrolls in baseball in 2019. Yes, even with Harper's contract.

Harper's salary works out to $25.4 million per year. He'll "only" make $22 million the last three years of the deal (granted, he'll be well past his prime -- but $22 million a decade from now will likely be peanuts). This season, he'll "only" make $10 million in salary (the rest will come in a signing bonus). Harper's salary isn't even in the top ten of average annual salaries in MLB. Nolan Arenado just signed a contract with Colorado making $32.5 million per year. And the Phillies still have room under the luxury tax to sign another free agent!



Amazingly, the Dodgers offered Harper $45 million per year -- but only for a 4-year deal. For Harper, he only wanted a long-term deal -- and he did not ask nor get an opt-out clause from the Phillies. He just wants to play for one more team in his career, and that's it (quite surprising in today's professional sports world). Harper apparently wants to raise a family and doesn't want to have to deal with uprooting them. Also for comparison, Harper made $22 million last season in D.C.

https://thatballsouttahere.com/2018/11/13/philadelphia-phillies-holiday-gift-guide/

However, with an average annual salary of $25.4 million, Harper’s salary won’t hamstring the team’s future financial flexibility. The raw money of the deal is slightly front-loaded, but the AAV is all we care about for luxury tax purposes.

According to Spotrac, Philadelphia is projected to have a $172 million payroll this year. When factoring in benefits and minor-league contracts, the team has about $16.6 million available before they enter the luxury tax. It may not be enough to land another big free agent, but they will still have room to pick up someone at the trade deadline.

Looking towards the future, the team still has plenty of room. For 2020, the team has about $70.6 million of room to work under the luxury tax. Even when you add arbitration salaries, there is still enough room to make other significant additions without having to worry about the luxury tax.


That way when I say that the Philadelphia Phillies actually are getting a great deal on the 13-year, $330 million contract that gave Bryce Harper on Thursday, no one can say I have my priorities out of whack.

But with that all out of the way, I’m serious: I think the Phillies got a steal on the deal. Minus the idea of being risk neutral or risk adverse, it makes a lot of sense. Here’s five reasons why.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mauryb...act-is-a-steal-for-the-phillies/#34c0ed287c12

Another good article explaining the "friendliness" of the contract:
https://www.phillyvoice.com/phillie...-tax-mike-trout-dallas-keuchel-craig-kimbrel/

Now, regarding Harper the baseball player ... he does move to one of the five most friendly ballparks for left-handed power hitters. And his numbers in Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park have been very good.
 
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