Breaking News: Bryce Harper signs with the Philadelphia Phillies for 13 years and 330 million dollars. Sports Center Jeff Passan was the first to report the deal. 

Bryce Harper has just signed the biggest contract in American sports history.

After Manny Machado signed with San Diego it was only a matter of time before Harper was going to go. There was speculation Harper could go to San Diego with Machado due to the team’s small salary cap.  But in the the past week Harper had multiple meetings with a number of teams, the Phillies being the prime suitor. Before the off season started Harper was asking for 400 million dollars with no particular team in mind. Earlier in the Off Season it looked as though he might end in a Yankees uniform, until the signings of Troy Tulowitski, J.A. Happ Zach Britton, and the looming free agent in Aaron Judge, which meant the Yankees would not be able to take Harper on, as it would be adding an 8th out fielder to their team.

Last season Harper batted .249 had an On Base Percentage of .393 and 34 Home runs. with this he also had a career high 169 strikeouts (stats from Baseball Reference.com).  In past years Harper has had some tremendous seasons but this past year has not been his best. His bating average and on base percentage are lower than the past, and his strikeouts are higher this year. So to see a team like the Phillies who are in contention for a playoff spot to make such a large move like this is normal, but some of the circumstances are not totally there.

The most perplexing factor to this contract is not the money or the amount of time, it is the fact there is no opt-out clause. This means that no matter how bad or how much Harper hates it there, the team can not trade him and he cannot request to leave. This is a very bad thing, especially taking into consideration Harper’s past and how he has handled certain situations in the past, such as his recent action of using a suggestive motion towards his new team’s fans.  It will be interesting to see how he is treated.

Other mighty free agents remain uncommitted, including Dallas Kuechel, Craig Kimbrel, and Adam Jones. This most recent move should not affect where these to players end up because of the positions these players play. The age of Adam Jones is also a large factor at 33 years old the outfield is now a demanding place to play and he may become a liability later down the road if he becomes injured.