The Bryce Harper saga finally came to a conclusion last week, as the star outfielder reached an agreement on a historic 13-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies were long viewed the favorite to secure Harper’s services, but it wasn’t without a late push from the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, who both met with the 26-year-old in his hometown of Las Vegas.
While it’s certainly disappointing that Harper didn’t choose the Dodgers, the club can take solace in the fact that the rival Giants missed out on him as well.
Cody Bellinger echoed similar sentiments and is relieved Harper signed with a team outside of the National League West, via Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times:
“It’s really a pretty big contract, so … good for him, congratulations to him, it’s a great accomplishment,” Bellinger said “It’s the National League still, but it’s great that he’s not in the division.”
The Dodgers were reportedly willing to offer Harper a lucrative short-term pact that would’ve tabbed him with the largest annual average salary in MLB history.
Harper, seeking long-term stability, ultimately chose the Phillies, who will pay him a record $330 million in total salary over the next 13 seasons. The figure surpasses that of New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, who previously held the record with $325 million.
The Giants’ reported offer to Harper was a 10-year commitment, but well short of the total salary that Philadelphia doled out to close the deal.
