The number thirteen is something that can be viewed as mysterious. Whatever the case is for the Philadelphia Phillies, they are holding on Bryce Harper for a very long time. After seven years with Washington, he got a 13 year deal with the worth being 330 million dollars. He may not be making the most, but to get something long term may be good.
Given his career so far, he has been rather inconsistent. While capable of hitting home runs, he has been having years where he is great and then he slumps a little bit. Last year was a good indicator. Questions were asked on whether he was tanking or not. Comparisons have been made so far about Ryan Howard's contract from 2012 through 2016. While I would have fear if I was a Phillies fan, I think it's different. Howard was at the peak of his career and after 2011. He wasn't the same player like he was in his first three to four full seasons.
Harper still has a lot of prime years left in him to make his name in baseball. Now, he will be playing until he is 38 or 39. It's not like Howard's situation or even Albert Pujols' 10 year deal, which I'd say was a big bust. Teams are very concerned about these kid of deals. There is power to him, but the Phillies need to contain him and control his anger. If they want to be contenders in the next few years, they can't have him lose his cool and get ejected in critical moments of the season. Getting support around him and developing some of their prospects would also be a great help.
The National League East might become the go to division if it isn't the American League equivalency. Harper's deal will go down as the greatest ever or the biggest bust for any free agent when it's all said and done.
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