Manager Gabe Kapler heard the big news from fans in the stands during the Philadelphia Phillies' spring training game. His team won the Bryce Harper sweepstakes, agreeing to a 13-year, $330 million deal with the free-agent outfielder, league sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Thursday. Harper's deal includes a no-trade clause and has no opt-outs, league sources told ESPN, indicating that he is committed to the Phillies for possibly the rest of his career. Fans showed Kapler and the Phillies their phones, giving updates as reports leaked out. He said he asked them where they were getting the info, afraid it wasn't legitimate. "If the reports are true, it's a huge moment for our baseball team," Kapler said after the game. "We get a lot better on the field, and Bryce Harper is a great teammate. We'd love to have him in our clubhouse, if the reports are true." The 2015 National League MVP and still only 26 years old, Harper was one of the top prizes in this year's crop of free agents. Infielder Manny Machado agreed to a 10-year, $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres, and it was assumed Harper's total would exceed that contract. Not only did he do that, his total beats Giancarlo Stanton's 13-year, $325 million extension signed with the Miami Marlins. Harper receives a $20 million signing bonus and a $10 million salary for this season. He will be paid $26 million annually from 2020 to 2028 and $22 million per season from 2029 to 2031, Passan reports. "We had average values of $45 million offered on shorter-term deals," Harper's agent, Scott Boras, told the New York Post. "We had a full buffet." MLB Network was the first to report that Harper and the Phillies were closing in on an agreement. "The goal was to get the longest contract possible," Boras told the Post. "Bryce wanted one city for the rest of his career. That is what I was instructed to do. It is very difficult in this time to get length of contract that takes a player to age 37, 38, 39." The Phillies, Giants and Dodgers were vying for Harper. The Dodgers were interested in signing him to a short-term deal. The San Francisco Chronicle, citing multiple sources, reported the Giants went as high as 12 years and $310 million with their offer. Kapler, who said Harper would likely hit third or fourth in the lineup, met with Harper during the offseason courtship. "One thing we know about Bryce is that he's an intense individual," Kapler said. "He plays the game especially hard." According to contract details obtained by The Associated Press, Harper would earn an extra $50,000 each time he is an All-Star, wins a Gold Glove or a Silver Slugger or is selected League Championship Series MVP. A World Series MVP trophy would be worth an additional $100,000. He would get $500,000 if he is league MVP, $50,000 for finishing second in the voting and $25,000 for third. Following news of Harper's decision, his odds to win the 2019 NL MVP award moved from 6-1 to 5-1 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. In addition, Harper gets a hotel suite on road trips and the right to purchase a suite for games at Citizens Bank Park. Harper isn't the only upgrade to the roster for the Phillies, who were 80-82 to finish third in the NL East last season. They traded for catcher J.T. Realmuto and infielder Jean Segura and signed outfielder Andrew McCutchen and reliever David Robertson. "It's exciting. He's a superstar player," said starter Aaron Nola of Harper, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We were already a better team without him, but now that we got him, it takes it up a notch." Nola signed a four-year extension of his own this offseason. He was asked by NBC Sports during the Phillies' game Thursday what the Harper signing meant. "We're not rebuilding anymore, and that's exciting," Nola said, adding: "We are ready to contend again." Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin told NBC that the team already had sky-high expectations but adding Harper takes it to another level. "We are all excited. I'm sure he's excited," Eflin said. "It's going to be a lot of fun for many years to come." Eflin was asked what this says to the fans. "Anybody can look at it and see it's time to win," he said. Former Washington Nationals teammate Max Scherzer said Harper's 13-year contract is good for the game. It will also provide Scherzer with a new challenge as Harper moves within the NL East. "Hey, we get to face him," Scherzer said. "It will be fun." Washington manager Davey Martinez was happy for his former player. "He deserves it," Martinez said. "He's one of the best young players in the game. I'm glad I got to spend a year with him. We'll always be close. He makes that division a little bit tougher. But I wish him all the best, I really do. Good for him." Harper is a six-time All-Star and was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2012 who spent his first seven seasons with the Nationals. He is a patient hitter, known for hitting a lot of homers and drawing a lot of walks, and has a .279 average with 184 homers, 521 RBIs and a .388 on-base percentage over his career. He hit .249 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs for Washington last season. He struggled for much of the first half but won the Home Run Derby during All-Star festivities at Nationals Park and hit .300 with 11 home runs, 46 RBIs and 46 runs scored in 223 at-bats after the break. He led the NL in walks with 130 and ranked fifth in on-base percentage (.393). Harper is going to a ballpark that fits him well. He has 14 career home runs at Citizens Bank Park, the most round-trippers at any road ballpark in his career. His .564 career slugging percentage at the park ranks first among 71 players with at least 200 plate appearances there.<doc-sep>Barely more than a week after Manny Machado picked the San Diego Padres, Bryce Harper is headed to the Philadelphia Phillies. What does the deal mean for baseball's new $330 million man, the team that signed him and the rest of baseball? We asked ESPN baseball writers Eddie Matz, Bradford Doolittle, Sam Miller and David Schoenfield to break it down. Gut reaction: Do you like this deal for the Phillies? Bradford Doolittle: Yeah, it kind of had to happen, didn't it? Thirteen years seems surreal on the face of it, but I thought $330 million for 10 years would work for the Phillies, so the extra length only serves to keep the average annual value down for tax calculation purposes. Whether it's three, four or even six upside-down seasons at the back end of the contract, it should be worth it. The Phillies are all in, as they should be after keeping their payroll down the past few years, and have the dollars and the minor league talent to fill holes over the next few years. Get ready, NL East fans: It's on. Bryce Harper to the Phillies There were other huge offers out there, but the mutual commitment made the difference for Bryce Harper and the Phillies. Jeff Passan Miller: Baseball's LeBron? How we were right -- and wrong -- about Bryce Law: Win-win deal | Winners, losers Eddie Matz: What's not to like? They got the guy they wanted (well, one of them). He fills some crystal-clear needs (corner outfielder, lefty stick). And all it cost them was some stupid money. Well, a whole lot of stupid money. But hey, if you can't spend it, then what's the point? Sam Miller: From 2009 through 2014, the Phillies' payroll was consistently $50 million to $70 million more than the league average. Then, as the crucial part of their rebuilding process, they cut it to $40 million below league average in each of the past three years. It's not just that a team of Philadelphia's market size can easily afford a player like Harper making $25 million to $30 million a year. It's that the whole point of everything the Phillies just put their fans through was to clear payroll so they could sign Bryce Harper (or somebody like him). It's not just a deal I like; this deal was something of an imperative. David Schoenfield: Here's a slightly different take: We're all focusing too much on the money and whether the Phillies paid too much. We don't know! The Albert Pujols contract looked great for the Angels at the time. The bigger issue: How good will Harper be? From 2016 to 2018 -- which admittedly ignores his monster 2015 season -- Harper ranked 22nd in the majors in wRC+ according to FanGraphs, behind Matt Carpenter and Tommy Pham, among others. Of course, there's always the hope that he can come close to 2015 again. Are the Phillies betting on that? Or are they simply betting on eight seasons or so of Harper being a top-15 hitter in the game? Will they be happy if that's the case? What if he is already morphing into a player with "old player" skills (more walks, lower average, bad defense)? The AAV is low enough that the contract probably won't haunt the Phillies, but there's also a chance they just gave the biggest contract in MLB history to a very good hitter, but not a dude who is one of the top 10 players in the game. Who is the biggest winner of Harper joining the Phillies? Doolittle: I'm assuming there will be a little initial pushback in Philly about this since the protracted nature of the negotiations sends the message that Harper didn't really want to play there. I'm sure there will be a love-hate relationship that develops between Harper and that fan base. But that's all good stuff! And Harper, who set his sights on Cooperstown long before he got to the majors, will have a better chance to put up huge numbers in Citizens Bank Park than he would have in either Dodger Stadium or (especially) The Orc. Matz: Um, Bryce Harper. Generally speaking, any time you can sign your name on a piece of paper and you are thereby guaranteed to earn a third of a billion dollars (give or take), you're a winner in my book. Miller: The Phillies. The headlines to this deal will note that it's the biggest contract in baseball history. But relative to the sport's growth in revenue, and relative to previous megadeals to pre-decline superstars, this one isn't expectations-shattering, and the cost of the far-distant seasons at the end of the deal isn't particularly daunting. In fact, it basically looks like the 10-year, $330 million deal you'd have reasonably expected for Harper -- with three "free" years tacked onto the length. Schoenfield: I agree with all of the above. But you know who else is a winner in all this? Rob Manfred. For all the kvetching from fans, players and baseball Twitter all winter about the slow pace of free agency and suggestions of collusion or something close to it, in the end Harper got $330 million and Manny Machado got $300 million. Manfred's argument to let the market play itself out seems to be correct. The stars got their big deals. (And, yes, some quality free agents like Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel still remain unsigned.) Who is the biggest loser of Harper joining the Phillies? Doolittle: The Braves took a very measured approach to this offseason, much to the chagrin of a lot of their fans. On the very same day that reports came out about Atlanta's huge surge in revenue, this happens. I know the Braves want to see how their roster grows organically with a good collection of young players -- including some high-ceiling position players -- on the way. But if none or few of those players stick and the Braves end up looking up at a Harper-led Phillies squad the next few years, those glowing revenue reports might fade fast.<doc-sep>Bryce Harper reportedly made his long-awaited decision over a week ago, yet the superstar free agent remains unsigned with spring training well underway. However, one of the most laborious free agency sags in Major League Baseball history appears to be nearing the finish line. Harper and Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton have been in Las Vegas throughout the weekend negotiating a contract, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale. And as recently as late Saturday night, the two sides were in “deep and serious negotiations” with the possibility of a 10-year contract being consummated by Monday. Here are Nightengale’s reports: The #Phillies are in deep and serious negotiations with Bryce Harper. Owner John Middleton doesn?t want to leave Las Vegas without a deal. — Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 24, 2019 Philadelphia #Phillies owner John Middleton still in Las Vegas with Bryce Harper negotiations and optimism now is that 10-year deal with Bryce Harper is finalized by Monday afternoon. — Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 24, 2019 The question, of course, is how much money will Harper make? Fellow superstar Manny Machado broke the winter-long stagnation by signing 10-year, $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres. It’s the largest free-agent contract in North American professional sports history. Given that Harper reportedly has shot down multiple offers north of $300 million, it wouldn’t be a surprise if his deal sets a new benchmark for MLB free agents. Thumbnail photo via Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>
Philadelphia Phillies managing general partner John Middleton flew to Las Vegas on Friday night to meet with free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper in his hometown, sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Barring something unexpected, Harper and the Phillies did not consummate a deal Friday night, league sources told Passan. It is more of a chance for the sides to explore whether they are mutually interested in the long-term deal Harper is seeking, sources said. The Phillies also met with Harper in January in Las Vegas. And the offseason began with Middleton saying, "We're going into this [free agency] expecting to spend money. And maybe even be a little bit stupid about it." On Thursday, the San Diego Padres signed the other big name of the free-agent market, Manny Machado, to a 10-year, $300 million deal. It is the biggest free-agent contract in American sports history. Other teams known to have met with Harper this winter include the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals, with whom Harper spent the first seven seasons of his career. Harper, 26, is looking for a deal in excess of the 10 years, $300 million the Nationals reportedly offered him at the end of the regular season. The left-handed-hitting Harper batted only .249 in 2018 but had 34 home runs and 100 RBIs and came on strong after the All-Star break. The Phillies were 11th in the National League in runs scored last season, and their right-handed-heavy lineup could use a lefty power hitter. NBC Sports Philadelphia was first to report that a representative from the Phillies was in Las Vegas on Friday.