Thursday afternoon saw the news baseball fans had been eagerly anticipating finally break: Bryce Harper had finally decided where he will play ball, announcing the signing of a 10-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. The deal also has a no-trade clause, and does not have an opt-out clause. That means that barring injury or unexpected early retirement, Harper will be sticking around in Pennsylvania until he’s 39.
Despite plenty of threats thrown Harper’s way from Phillies fans prior to his signing (per a previous report by The Inquisitr ), it seems they are elated that he has decided to ply his trade for their team. Within less than 24 hours of his signing with them, the Phillies recorded a major ticket sales jump.
According to Yahoo Sports , that jump numbered over 100,000 tickets sold!
“Before the Bryce Harper news broke yesterday, the #Phillies had sold roughly 200,000 more tickets than at this same point last year. They have sold about 100,000 tickets since, #Phillies senior VP of ticket operations John Weber said. Hard to say, but it might be a 1-day record,” author Todd Zolecki detailed on Twitter.
John Weber, the Phillies’ senior vice president of ticket operations, was elated at the sudden jump in ticket sales.
The Phillies’ ticket sales skyrocketed after the team signed Bryce Harper https://t.co/xGKMkQf9dZ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 1, 2019
According to Weber, it might well be a record for the side, although you’d probably have to go back through the books to confirm this for sure.
The most recent major purchase by the Phillies was when they signed free agent Cliff Lee in 2010. That contract also prompted a jump in sales, but an almost minor 60,000 in comparison to the 100,000 in less than 24 hours for Harper.
It would be fitting though, given that the contract that inspired Phillies fans to pull out their credit cards is also a record breaker. With a total value of $330 million, Harper’s deal surpasses the previous most valuable contract in MLB history: that of Giancarlo Stanton which he signed in 2014 with the Miami Marlins before being traded to the New York Yankees.
It also means he will take home more in total from his contract than Manny Machado, the other superstar free agent who was snapped up by the San Diego Padres just a week earlier. Machado will still be taking home more annually though, as his $300 million contract is only for 10 years.
Up until the announcement of his contract with the Phillies, Harper was rumored to still be considering offers from the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Giants. The Phillies, however, had long been considered to be the front runner.
