Bryce Harper’s Contract Now The Richest In MLB
It has been weeks of wild speculation, but the announcement that 26-year-old outfielder Bryce Harper has finally made up his mind about where he wants to play ball has come. On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that Harper has reached an agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies, The Inquisitr reported.
Up until just a few hours prior to writing, it was believed that Harper moving to the Phillies was becoming less and less likely, but it seems that the promise of a 13-year contract that will earn Harper a whopping $330 million was enough to lure him to Pennsylvania. Those details have yet to be confirmed by either party, but if true, Harper’s contract will make history.
According to Sportrac, Harper’s contract will surpass Giancarlo Stanton’s 2014 deal with the Miami Marlins for $325 million as the richest in Major League Baseball history, dropping the right-fielder to second on the list of most valuable MLB contracts. Also a 13-year deal, Stanton is earning $25 million per year.
It also surpasses Manny Machado’s new deal with the San Diego Padres, which he signed just last week on Thursday. Machado’s contract will take him to the California city for a decade and earn him $300 million.
Although the total value of Harper’s new contract is higher than Machado’s, he will be taking home less per year, at just over $25 million annually to Machado’s $30 million annual salary.
BREAKING: AP source says Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a 13-year, $330 million contract – the largest deal in baseball history. https://t.co/7lNejHTjox
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 28, 2019
Nolan Arenado, who also just agreed to his own deal earlier this week, has also climbed near the top of the biggest MLB contracts currently in existence. Arenado is bound for the Colorado Rockies for the next eight years, but he will actually be earning more than Machado per year with $32.5 million annual pay.
The only current contract that pays more annually is that of Zack Greinke. The starting pitcher signed a six-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016 and gets just less than an unbelievable $34.5 million each year for it.
Miguel Cabrera clocks in with the fifth most valuable current contract. Signed to the Detroit Tigers in 2016, Cabrera also takes home more than both Harper and Machado annually, with $31 million per year. His contract is only for eight years though, and the total value is $248 million.
In terms of length, Stanton’s is the only other current contract for more than 10 years. Both Harper and Stanton have 13-year contracts, and Harper will be 39-years-old by the time he’s a free agent again.
