WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As we wait for Bryce Harper to finally sign with a team, it appears he won’t get the $400 million he was seeking.
The Nationals reportedly offered him $300 million over 10 years last season, an annual average value of $30 million per season.
Recent reports have the Phillies offering Harper $310 million over 10 years, an annual average value of $31 million per season.
But is $40 million per year that far-fetched?
Bryce Harper is one of the hottest free agents in baseball.
His agent, Scott Boras, helped secure big money contracts from the Nationals for Max Scherzer and Jayson Werth.
Boras argues that the average annual value is more important than the total value of the contract.
When Zack Greinke signed his 6-year $206 million contract in 2016, the average annual value was more than $34 million per season.
If you use Greinke’s deal as the baseline, Bryce Harper could easily command at least $340 million.
But Greinke is a starting pitcher who only plays once every 5 days.
For someone of Harper’s caliber, you easily could add a couple million per year to account for his ability to impact games daily.
Let’s say you add $5 million dollars per year to Harper’s deal.
Now Bryce’s total contract value for a 10-year deal jumps up to $390 million.
$400 million doesn’t sound that crazy after all.
