The Bryce Harper waiting game is finally over

After four months after the conclusion of the World Series and a month before the 2019 season begins, Bryce Harper has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. $330 million over 13 years is the biggest contract in baseball history. Harper steals the title of the ‘Richest Freeagent in Baseball’ from Machado, who got the honor of holding it for a whole ten days.

Major League Baseball has to implement something along the lines of deadline for free agents to sign contracts. Both Harper and Machado’s delay of signing a contract was bad for the sport. Teams go into the season not knowing their full roster, payroll, and give less time for possible new teams to mesh. Not only does it affect the free agents, the teams that lose out on the big name free agents are left scrambling to find someone to fill the void they thought the free agent was going to fill. On top of searching for a replacement, the search is happening in the middle of spring training.

As for Harper, who is 26 years old, he will spend the prime of his career in Philly. The Phillies had the youngest Opening Day roster in all of baseball last year of 26 years old. Harper would join an already young squad ready to contend for years to come.

One of Harper’s favorite road ballpark as a National was Citizens Bank, hitting .268 with 14 homers over fifty games. Add the 32 RBIs and over a full season of home games, that would be 22 home runs and 51 RBIs just at home. Another advantage is not having to adapt to hitting in new ballparks consistently because he remains in the NL East.

Philadelphia were a real contender last year before a horrid second half of the season. The surprise teams of the NL along with the Braves, they looked good for at least a Wild Card spot midway through the season. Going 27-40 in the second half of the season and an abysmal 8-20 in the month of September is not ideal. Harper will want to step in and take a good Phillies team from the first half of the season and continue the form over 162 games.