Big Amoco Sign wrote:I see what you're saying, I just think it's a little insincere to go "yeah the past few months all came down to one upping Stanton's deal" when yes, he wanted the biggest deal in history given his FA entry age, skill, etc. Keyword is "all"
I'm not sure I understand what you are getting at. His desire to beat Stanton's deal was not the only reason he got 13/330. Obviously that's because one team valued him at that contract.
It appears the reason why this drug out for four months is because Harper/Boras were apparently focused on beating Stanton's deal. There were likely plenty of alternatively attractive offers along the way, and he probably could have signed months ago. It appears he held out over something petty, which to me is silly but whatever. I think I'd prefer to sign the player willing to bet on himself with the short term / high AAV.
wart57 wrote:The World will have ended before this contract does, so it was a good signing by the Phillies.
I heard that David Tennant will save the world with time travel in year 8 of this contract, with a side effect that the economy and value of the dollar will suddenly-and-will-have-always-been the same as in 1920. Hw won't be able to change the contract though, citing it as a fixed point in time and saying that he was, "so, so sorry." So, rough deal for Phi.
The Giants’ offer of $310 million over 12 years — as first reported by the team’s rights-holder, the Bay Area Sports Group — featured a slightly higher AAV than the Phillies’ deal but was compromised by California’s high state taxes. The offer also was below the previous record, the $325 million Giancarlo Stanton received more than four years ago without the benefit of free agency.
The Dodgers offered Harper another option – a three-year deal with opt-outs and an AAV above Zack Greinke’s record $34.4 million but well below $40 million, according to sources. Harper could have stayed closer to his home in Las Vegas by joining the defending two-time National League champions – a team with much more recent success than the Phillies – and become a free agent entering his age 29 season. But to gain the increased flexibility, he would have walked away from nearly $200 million in guaranteed money – a tradeoff that was not worth the risk, especially when he had produced only one full monster season and was young enough to warrant a longer deal.
So, $330 million was the magic number. The average fan probably sees no further than that total. The average Phillies fan likely is salivating, knowing Harper’s relatively low AAV will give the team greater room under the luxury-tax threshold and enable it to pursue other expensive players in the future — most notably Mike Trout if he becomes a free agent after the 2020 season.