Phillies news and rumors 3/5: After extending Zack Wheeler, John Middleton speaks on Bryce Harper’s contract situation

John Middleton is the Phillies managing partner. (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire)

After extending Zack Wheeler, Phillies owner John Middleton might not be in a rush to make another deal.

Of course, his superstar Bryce Harper is known to want an extension on his 13-year, $330 million deal he signed before the 2019 season. But that doesn’t mean Middleton is ready to act right away.

“At this point, I don’t really have any comment other than what I’ve said,” the club’s managing partner told reporters — including Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia — about Harper on Tuesday after a press conference announcing Wheeler’s three-year, $126 million contract extension. “My goal is that he retires as a Phillie. My expectation is that he will retire as a Phillie. We need to get something done, but when we get it done and how it gets done, it’s not clear to me.”

Middleton and the Phillies have gained a reputation for compensating players well in recent years. The team has acquired big-name free agents for big money like Harper, Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos while rewarding J.T. Realmuto and Aaron Nola with contracts to stay in Philadelphia before most recently locking up its ace in Wheeler through 2027.

The difference with Harper this time around, however, is that he’s nowhere close to free agency with eight years remaining on his deal. He insisted on no opt-outs in his lengthy contract, something that has helped the Phillies build around him but cost him leverage in getting more money moving forward.

Harper’s $25.4 million average annual value ranks 25th in the league for 2024, a low number for his star-level production. But with the Phillies’ situation at the moment — with plenty of stars and plenty of payroll — the team is unlikely to want to amend his current deal any time soon.

But as Middleton mentioned, the club will probably want to look at the deal down the line. Harper is set to be a Phillie through 2031, and a few years after that could make sense for both sides. Due to the details of his current contract, perhaps both sides will have to get creative in order to make a new agreement that makes sense. Whatever the terms end up being, just don’t expect it to be at the top of Middleton’s priority list just yet.

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