Bryce Harper was like Juan Soto six years ago with the Philadelphia Phillies: playing under the richest contract in North American sports history.
But with Soto inking a 15-year, $765 million deal that can reach $800 million with the New York Mets this offseason, Harper was happy for his new division rival and immediately thought of the players he believes are underpaid — such as the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge.
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“It’s the name of the game now,” Harper told The Athletic in a story published Wednesday. “Guys are getting what they’re worth. It more shocks me that a guy like Aaron Judge didn’t get more than what he got (nine years, $360 million), or certain pitchers. You look at certain players and see what they’re doing and you can expect them to be in that tier of money.
“Those are the things that shock me more than what Soto gets. I think Bobby Witt (11 years, $288.78 million) could have gotten that, somewhere near there. Same thing with Gunnar (Henderson). There are a lot of guys in our game now who are going to be up there.”
Harper landed in Philadelphia thanks to a 13-year, $330 million deal in late February 2019 as a 26-year-old. In his third season there (2021), he earned his second MVP and has remained one of the game’s most productive hitters, even at first base, where he’s played after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022.
Judge signed his megadeal entering the 2023 season at age 31, providing yet another example of baseball’s reluctance to splurge on players in their 30s ... even those as good as Judge, who has two MVPs on his resume (in 2022 and 2024). Last year, Judge hit .322/458/.701 with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs. His production was worth a 223 OPS+.
According to Fangraphs, Judge has been worth $411 million in his career, including $89.7 million in his MVP campaign in 2024.
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