MLB Rumors: Contract Bryce Harper Rejected Would’ve Paid Him Until Age 60

Bryce Harper apparently had no interest in being the next Bobby Bonilla.

The superstar outfielder rejected a contract offer from the Washington Nationals that would have paid him until age 60, The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga reported Friday, citing two sources. The Nationals reportedly offered Harper the 10-year, $300 million deal last season, but he rejected the chance to receive payments from his former team until around 2052.

Some context on the Nats' 10-year, $300-million offer:

I'm told from two sources that a significant — like, made MLB queasy — amount of money was deferred. One source said it included $100-million in deferrals and paid Harper until he was 60.

The PHI deal has no deferrals.

— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) February 28, 2019

Harper left the Nationals last October and began a free-agency saga that appeared to end Thursday when he reportedly agreed to sign a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Astonishingly, the New York Mets still will be paying Bonilla when Harper’s contract with the Phillies expires in 2031. The Mets in 2000 bought out Bonilla’s $5.9 million contract, and they agreed to deferment schedule, which pays him $1.19 million every year through 2035. He’ll be 72 years old by then, and the buyout will be worth $29.8 million when it ends.

As Harper and Bonilla know well, some agents are worth their weight in gold.