Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper plans to play for several more years.
Harper is entering the seventh year of his 13-year $330 million deal with the Phillies. He will be 38 when the deal ends and many have thought he could retire at the conclusion of his contract.
However, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Harper wants to play into his 40s, meaning he will sign another contract after this one ends at the conclusion of the 2031 Major League Baseball season.
“His deal expires after his age 38 season. Assuming good health, he wants to play, ‘until his early 40s, somewhere in there.’ He wants to spend all of those years with the Phillies. More than anything, he wants to win a World Series, a goal that seemed well within his grasp at 19, yet continues to elude him,” Rosenthal wrote.
Harper is just 32 years old and is still playing at a high level and the Phillies first baseman could have upwards of 10 years left in his MLB career.
Another big reason for extending his career into his 40s is so he can reach 500 career home runs. Harper is at 336 and at his current pace, he would hit it in the final year of his deal, but staying healthy is key to reaching that goal.
“You’ve got to stay healthy. You’ve got to stay strong. You’ve got to be on winning teams, too, I feel like. Obviously, you can do it without that. But I feel like it just pushes you that much more to be great,” Harper said.
In 2024, Harper hit .285 with 30 home runs and 87 RBIs.
Harper is a two-time National League Most Valuable Player Award winner and eight-time All-Star.
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