Ike Reese says Bryce Harper better be careful to not overplay his hand in regards to wanting a contract extension, and take his relationship with Philadelphia for granted.
"This is where Bryce I think has to play this correctly," Reese said on Tuesday's 94WIP Afternoon Show. "Don't overplay your hand here, don't overplay the love affair, the appreciation, the adulation and take that for granted because the moment that you don't produce this all flips on you...Us fans don't forget this stuff. If the only thing that mattered to you is you got what you wanted and you're happy because you got what you wanted. And we don't get what we want, this doesn't turn out well. If you're Bryce, careful with this, careful with this overplaying your hand as, 'I'm the guy in the city and give me what you want.'"
Harper, who has years remaining on his $330 million, 13-year contract, spoke Sunday publicly when arriving in Clearwater, admitting he wants an extension.
"There's two people that want it to work and we'll find a way," Phillies managing partner John Middleton told the Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber.
"If you're telling me Bryce Harper isn't going to somehow pout or be upset about this, then why do I need to do it?" Reese argued. "If he's still going to be the same Bryce Harper, come out and play hard—and by the way, in this town, it would behoove him to do that. It would not behoove him to turn into somebody who is pouting because you're not getting an extension off of a 300-plus hundred million dollar contract you signed five years into that contract.
"You have to wonder, do you hold the line here? At least for a few more years...I could understand if we were on the backend of the deal, meaning it's year eight, year nine, something like that. You literally have eight years remaining on this deal. Why am I doing this? This is a terrible precedence to be set. OK, so if Trea Turner starts playing well over the next three years he's going to want an extension too?"
Harper, who turns 32 in October, is set to make $26 million per season through 2028 and then $22 million per season for the final three years of his deal. Harper currently makes less, on an annual average basis, than Trea Turner, who makes $27.27 million per season.