![]() ![]() 23, one month after sending the Phillies to the World Series with a dramatic two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series against the San Diego Padres.įollowing his surgery, the Phillies said Harper was expected to return to the lineup as designated hitter by the All-Star break and could return to playing right field by the end of the regular season. ![]() The two-time National League MVP had surgery on Nov. How quickly he can rev it up is to be determined. On Wednesday, Harper will report to Clearwater, Florida, to start his spring training, which has been delayed as the Philadelphia Phillies slugger recovers from reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. With that, Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race got under way at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Harper’s hometown. He raised his right index finger and mimicked turning a car key. They have a decade to go - for better or worse.Wearing a tan suit and flanked by two Las Vegas showgirls, Bryce Harper raised a microphone to his mouth with his left hand and issued the command, “Drivers, start your engines!” At least the upside of a forever contract is opportunity for course correction. Which leaves the Phillies, and Harper, feeling pinched. The Marlins are more and more interesting thanks to their young talent. The Mets have a new owner looking to spend. Atlanta may be the second-best team in baseball. The National League East will be highly competitive again next season. And the rock of salt in the wound was the Nationals winning the World Series the season after he left. Philadelphia has missed the postseason in each of Harper’s first two seasons. He is looking at team owner John Middleton jumping in to refute reports Zack Wheeler may be traded after one season with the Phillies. That is not where Harper currently lives. Then he hits the market again at age 29 with everything behind him. He wins the World Series in 2020, his second season, is stable in years three and four while the sport convulses through rough offseasons and a new collective bargaining agreement is hammered out. Imagine that framework now: Harper signs for the four years, $45 million the Dodgers reportedly offered. Reports suggested the Dodgers were willing to provide him a shorter contract with a higher average annual value. After being low-balled by the Nationals - and being forced to move on despite wanting to return - he was adamant about finding a permanent home. Strasburg managed all of that with Boras at the helm. Strasburg turned that into his current seven-year, $245 million deal after taking the first opt-out available to him following the 2019 World Series win.ĬJ Abrams ‘progressing well' for Nationals after winning NL Player of the Week He leveraged the threat of free agency into a seven-year, $175 million, opt-out-laden extension in 2016. Strasburg may be the premier example of how to massage MLB’s pay scale. Baseball remains a laggard when it comes to such jarring player movement.ĭownload and subscribe to the Nationals Talk Podcast This is the ultimate era of athlete movement, whether for a year or two, to form super groups in the NBA or instant offense in the NFL. However, he at least was able to consider it. He is still owed $218 million over the next seven years and the current free agency market is bad. Stanton can opt-out this offseason - six years into his deal - should he choose to (he won’t). Harper didn’t leave himself any of the flexibility Stephen Strasburg’s 2016 contract extension allowed for or even the limited mechanisms in Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year, $325 million deal. It’s counter to logic and, likely, to what his agent, Scott Boras, would prefer. Much of Harper’s initial point when signing the deal was to avoid a second go-around with free agency despite his age. But, he also can’t leave of his own volition because he made a point of not including opt-outs in a decade-plus contract. And Harper can’t be traded because of the length of his deal - a term crucial to him when entering free agency in 2019. Philadelphia is suddenly an undulating organization without direction. Mathematically, it’s just the start, which is both troubling and hopeful. Year three of a 13-year contract is coming in 2021. Bryce Harper built the box he is currently trapped in. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |