Philadelphia Phillies should give in, provide opt-out for Bryce Harper

Could providing Bryce Harper with an opt-out clause finally help the Philadelphia Phillies sign the star outfielder?

Just when Philadelphia Phillies fans couldn’t be anymore frustrated over the waiting game continuing with Bryce Harper potentially signing a hefty contract, the Colorado Rockies had to go take care of business with a star of their own in Nolan Arenado.

On Tuesday, the Rockies rewarded their beloved third baseman with a hefty eight-year, $260 million extension, leaving some Phillies fans even more frustrated over the fact that a potential deal with Harper has yet to happen.

Since talks with Harper have been going on for months, one would think that a deal would have been reached by now, especially after last week’s news surrounding Manny Machado agreeing to a ridiculous 10-year, $300 deal with the San Diego Padres.

From Arenado’s perspective, one of the positive factors from his deal seems to be the fact that he can opt out after three seasons if he chooses to do so, which is understandable since there is no guarantee things will work out for the best in Colorado.

As for how this relates to Harper, well after hearing the news about Arenado’s deal with the opt-out clause, this could make things even more complicated for the Phillies while trying to continue negotiations with the outfielder.

This approach may not be the preference for Philadelphia since they would rightfully want to make sure Harper is guaranteed to be around for longer beyond the 2021 season, but the team needs to consider the possibility of giving in to make this part of the deal.

Instead of worrying about Harper being unhappy and potentially using this as a way to get out of the deal if things go south over the next year or so, the Phillies should instead focus on putting themselves in the best position possible to make sure he wants to stay when the time comes.

At the end of the day, Philadelphia would be better off having Harper on a deal with an opt-out instead of not having Harper at all if he were to end up joining a different team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, so here’s to hoping they realize before it’s too late.