Rival GM believes Harper's free-agent value is 'closer to $500M'
If one executive is correct in his assessment, then interested teams better start clearing out that payroll for Bryce Harper right now.
A rival general manager told Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports on Thursday that he believes Harper's value as a free agent - when he gets there after the 2018 season - is "closer to $500 million than $400 million," before adding that he sees $400-million as the "baseline" requirement to get Harper's signature on a deal.
The thought of Harper, or any player for that matter, potentially signing a $500-million free-agent contract is unheard of in baseball. Even a potential $400-million deal remains a dream; only Giancarlo Stanton's 13-year, $325-million contract he signed with Miami in 2015 - the largest deal in professional sports history - has even come within sight of that mark.
| Rk. | Player | Team | Contract (Yrs.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giancarlo Stanton | Marlins | 13 Yrs/$325M (2015-27)* |
| 2 | Alex Rodriguez | Yankees | 10 Yrs/$275M (2008-17) |
| 3 | Alex Rodriguez | Rangers | 10 Yrs/$252M (2001-10)** |
| 4 | Miguel Cabrera | Tigers | 8 Yrs/$248M (2016-23) |
| 5 (tie) | Albert Pujols | Angels | 10 Yrs/$240M (2012-21) |
| 5 (tie) | Robinson Cano | Mariners | 10 Yrs/$240M (2014-23) |
*Contains opt-out clause in 2020
**Opted out of contract's final three years in 2007
(Contract info courtesy: Cot's Contracts)
But if any one player might garner that kind of dough as a free agent, it would surely be Harper. The 2015 NL MVP is almost assuredly headed for free agency, as evidenced by his record-setting $21.65-million deal for 2018 he signed with the Washington Nationals last week to cover his last year of arbitration - but not a year longer, as confirmed by general manager Mike Rizzo last week.
"We (Rizzo and agent Scott Boras) didn't discuss anything beyond 2018," Rizzo said after announcing the one-year pact with Harper.
The 24-year-old Harper entered play Thursday hitting .376/.491/.744 with 13 homers, 30 walks, 10 doubles, and a league-high 42 runs scored. He's earning $13.625 million this season.