MLB rumors: 4 things that could be holding up Bryce Harper to Phillies megadeal

Bryce Harper still hasn’t signed with the Phillies. Here’s a guess at what could be holding up a mega deal.

No deal–yet.

As Phillies fans wait and wait (and wait) for Bryce Harper and the team to come together on a record contract, nothing has actually happened. With the start of the regular season just over four weeks away, it’s getting late early.

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Here’s a guess at what could be holding up the deal.

Mystery team(s)

While there’s likely no team that is willing to outbid the Phillies for Harper’s services, we now know of at least one that joined Phillies owner John Middleton in paying the lefty slugger a visit in Las Vegas: the Dodgers.

Los Angeles was a team heavily rumored early in the bidding, but seemed to be out when A.J. Pollock signed a four-year contract to man center field. Things could be changing, but likely only on a short-term offer.

Money

Cold hard cash. Is Harper simply looking to beat Manny Machado‘s $300M? Is it about topping Giancarlo Stanton‘s $325M? Does average annual value record ($34.41M) matter over the length of the deal?

While the final contract number is likely enormous, how Harper and the Phillies get there could be a sticking point based on years, total guarantees and future luxury tax concerns in Philadelphia.

Paxton’s meaningful debut

Years

Machado got 10 from San Diego. Does that mean the Phillies have to go there or could, say, a nine-year, $326M deal work? That would give Harper the biggest total deal in North American sports history and the highest average annual salary in MLB history.

Swell-opt

Do tell, Scott! “It’s a ‘swellopt.'” A what? “For the club, if the player performs well, the club can opt in (contract swells). For the player, if the club doesn’t opt in, the player has the choice to continue with contract (swell) or opt out. It’s a swell option for both.”

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 6, 2019

Think of this as a twist on a regular contract opt-out for the player. For Harper’s deal, an opt-out clause seems to be more of a ‘when’ rather than an ‘if’ in the process. The team and player certainly could be fighting over whether Harper could potentially opt-out after, say, three or four years.

But the swell-out could be something we see at the end.

If a 10-year deal is announcement, perhaps an option becomes present on the Phillies end to extend the deal to 11 or 12 years after year nine. In that case, the Phillies could trigger the deal for two extra years prior to Harper’s final year of the ten-year deal. If the team declines, Harper heads into his final year in a walk season.

Joe Giglio may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.