The Phillies have reached an agreement to sign free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, a source said Thursday.
The deal is reportedly worth $330 million over 13 years and contains a no-trade clause and no opt-outs.
It was easy to imagine Harper playing his home games in South Philadelphia when he arrived each summer with the rival Nationals and feasted on Phillies pitchers, hammering home runs out of Citizens Bank Park. Harper, every Phillies fan knew, would become a free agent after the 2018 season. The Phillies, after keeping their payroll low for four years, would have the money to buy one of baseball's biggest stars.
There's no longer a reason to imagine, as those dreams became a reality.
The pursuit of Harper was slow, as Phillies general manager Matt Klentak patiently played the market, knowing he had had the financial support of ownership to outbid nearly any other team. There were two superstar free agents this winter _ Harper and Manny Machado _ and the Phillies remained confident throughout the offseason that they would land one.
They had begun preparing for this move four years ago when they decided to shed salary and turn the page from the last great Phillies team. Harper hit free agency in his prime at just 26 years old, yet he had to wait until spring training to find a deal he liked.
Harper hit 34 homers last season, batting .249 with a .889 OPS. In the last four seasons, Harper has hit 129 homers with a .952 OPS. He has had great success at Citizens Bank Park, as his 14 homers in the team's friendly South Philly confines are more than Harper has hit at any other visiting ballpark.
He instantly joins Pete Rose, Jim Thome, and Cliff Lee as the biggest free-agent signings in team history. Rose helped the Phillies win a World Series. Thome made the team relevant before moving into a new ballpark. Lee solidified one of the greatest starting rotations in baseball history. The Phillies hope that Harper not only can return the Phillies to relevance after seven seasons without a postseason berth, but that he also can be the piece they need to win their third World Series championship.
As they waited out Harper, the Phillies improved by trading for shortstop Jean Segura and catcher J.T. Realmuto and signing outfielder Andrew McCutchen and reliever David Robertson in free agency. The team that spent 38 days in first place last summer entered spring training greatly improved. The Phillies were already playoff contenders in 2019, but Harper makes them much more than that.
