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Bryce Harper just became a very richer man.
The 26-year-old signed free-agent deal with the Philadelphia Phillies for 13 years and $330 million, the most ever guaranteed to a baseball player. Harper eclipsed Giancarlo Stanton’s recent $325 million contract to secure the title of the largest contract in pro team sports history. As Darren Rovell points out, with his $330 million contract over 13 years, Harper will make more than the annual median household income of the Philadelphia every single time he steps to the plate ($44,929 based on career averages vs. $41,500 based on household income in Philly).
Harper’s impact has already been felt even before he puts on a Phillies uniform, as ticket sales are going bananas.
According to John Weber, the team’s senior vice president of ticket operations, the Phillies sold about 100,000 tickets on Thursday after news broke that Harper would be signing with the squad.
Before the Bryce Harper news broke yesterday, the #Phillies had sold roughly 200,000 more tickets than at this same point last year. They have sold about 100,000 tickets since, #Phillies senior VP of ticket operations John Weber said. Hard to say, but it might be a 1-day record.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) March 1, 2019
It was awesome,” Weber said, via Philly.com. “We’ve never sold that many tickets in a single day.”
Demand on the secondary market is following suit. As of Friday morning, ticket prices for Opening Day on Ticket IQ have skyrocketed to $137, a 128 percent increase from the previous morning when the cost hovered around $60.
Harper is coming off a season in which he hit .249/.393/.496 with 34 home runs, 34 doubles and 100 RBI in 2018.
It’s amazing how much can change in a little over a decade.
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