As of yesterday, “Baseball’s LeBron” Bryce Harper signed the largest contract in the history of team sports, inking a 13 year, $330 million with the Phillies. “Overjoyed” is one word we can use to describe this deal and that seemed to be the overall consensus in South Philadelphia. Usually many Philadelphia fans are skeptical when huge money deals like this come to the table but because the way the Phillies have been playing as of the past 5 years and the recent bad luck Philly teams have had with acquiring big time free agents, this transaction was received well by the public.
The Phillies now have one of the best batting lineups in the NL with Harper, Hoskins and recent acquisitions Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, and JT Realmuto. Although there are still holes in the bullpen even after obtaining righty reliever David Robertson, expect the Phillies to be almost NL East locks and playoff contenders, something Phillies have not seen since the 2011 season.
Bryce Harper reportedly knew his value and was expecting money to come from all of his potential teams but he was really looking for a familial atmosphere he could call home. Last week Phillies president John Middleton flew with his wife to Bryce’s hometown, Las Vegas, to meet Bryce and his wife to discuss their potential future. Middleton’s visit obviously was effective considering he signed a 13 year no opt-out contract that basically guarantees he’s a Phillie for life.
Ever since the Eagles won the Superbowl in 2018, there seems to be a momentum in this city that we at JTP believe can lead to multiple championships in the future. The Bryce Harper signing was a huge milestone in what we expect to be many fruitful years to come.
Just The Phacts 