Bryce Harper's bold claim after Phillies' elimination puts NL East on notice
Bryce Harper is only getting older, as is the rest of the Phillies' core group, but he doesn't think that will stop him.
Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper isn’t thinking about regression any time soon both personally and as a team.
The New York Mets eliminated the Phillies in the NLDS in four games. The Phillies won the NL East for the first time since 2011 but it didn’t lead to a World Series championship. In fact, the Phillies have regressed in the playoffs each year since making it to the World Series in 2022.
Harper signed a massive 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies before the 2019 Major League Baseball season. He’s turned into the leader of the team and continues to be one of the top players in baseball.
Bryce Harper's bold claim after Phillies' elimination puts NL East on notice
As for the future after the Phillies’ early exit in the 2024 playoffs, Harper believes his prime is still ahead of him.
"This is going to be a crazy answer, but I think my prime is for the next 10 years," Harper said after the Phillies' Game 4 loss to the Mets, per Paul Casella of MLB.com. "You know what I’m saying? I don’t think I’m faltering in any way."
Harper finished No. 7 in the majors with 42 doubles, No. 10 in on-base percentage and OPS and No. 12 in slugging. He had 30 home runs and 87 RBI while missing just 17 games all season after dealing with injuries the previous two years.
Time is a factor, but the soon-to-be 32-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down. He was named to the eighth All-Star Game of his career and was nominated for All-MLB honors.
Bryce Harper believes the Phillies' core group can still win a championship
As for the team and its chances moving forward, Harper doesn’t believe the World Series window is closing.
“We’ve just got to be better,” Harper said, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Got to finish the job. I mean, obviously, we’ve got a great group of guys in here, we’ve got a really good core -- just wasn't able to get the job done.”
The championship window certainly isn’t closed, but the Phillies’ big-money core group is aging and getting to the end of their contracts. J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber both have one more year on their contracts, Nick Castellanos is signed through the 2026 season and Zack Wheeler won’t be a free agent until 2028. Aaron Nola, Trea Turner and Harper are on longer deals and are signed through 2030 and beyond.
Harper might still have many good years ahead of him and the World Series window might not be closed on this core group, but it’s definitely getting shorter and it’s happening quickly.
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