The 2018-19 Major League Baseball free agent class is widely considered to be the most loaded of its kind in recent memory, with over a dozen players with All-Star Game selections looking to cash in with new deals.
As it currently stands, the Los Angeles Dodgers have nearly $65 million committed to six players for the 2019 season; not including those who are eligible for salary arbitration or the few with options in their contracts.
Most noticeably, Clayton Kershaw can opt-out and forego the final two seasons of his present seven-year contract. Assuming he does so, Kershaw will headline the monstrous class that’s also set to feature Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper, Baltimore’s Manny Machado and Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson.
It’s no guarantee that any of these players make it to free agency in two years, but it’s certainly shaping up that way.
While the Dodgers figure to retain Kershaw at all costs, a recent report indicated the club could be a threat to land Harper as well.
Dodgers president Stan Kasten, who held the same position for the Nationals from 2006-10, signed Harper after the club selected him with their first overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Not only that, but Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, also represents Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager and Julio Urias, among other Dodgers players. Boras regularly attends games at Dodger Stadium and clearly has a strong relationship with the organization, which may be of benefit during the free-agency process.
It also doesn’t hurt that Dodger Stadium is the closest MLB park to Harper’s hometown of Las Vegas, Nev., making it possible for the slugger to return to the West Coast and play in front of family and friends.
Despite these advantages, Harper is far from a lock to sign with the Dodgers. Most players accept the most lucrative offer from bidders, and it remains to be seen if Los Angeles is willing to break the bank to sign the young slugger.
Assuming the Nationals aren’t able to extend Harper and he tests the market, the competition for his services will be fierce. It’s not often players of this caliber become free agents, after all.
Harper, still just 24, owns a career .283/.386/.511 (141 OPS+) slash line with 703 doubles and 134 home runs in 2,949 plate appearances since debuting in 2012 as baseball’s top prospect.
He was named the National League MVP in 2015, has four All-Star appearances under his belt, an NL Rookie of the Year Award and a Silver Slugger, to boot.
Because of his success and the fact that he’ll be entering his prime in 2019, Harper’s upcoming contract is expected to easily surpass the value of Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton’s record-setting 13-year, $325 million extension that was signed 2014.
Some have even speculated that Harper will sign a contract that exceeds $400 million, with one general manager predicting that the sum will be closer to half a billion.
That cost, even for the Dodgers, looks insurmountable.
If Kershaw opts out, he’ll likely warrant a contract that approaches $300 million — and Los Angeles will do everything in its power to keep the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner part ofr the organization for the remainder of his career.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman stated as much, adding the team would like to keep Kershaw involved even after his playing career.
Signing both Kershaw and Harper would presumably command virtually three-quarters of a billion dollars. For comparison, the Tampa Bay Rays, as a franchise, have a 2017 value of $825 million.
Beyond the significant financial commitment to just two players, even of Harper’s and Kershaw’s caliber, it won’t be long before the Dodgers’ young core inch closer free agency themselves.
In 2019, a trio of notable players in Seager, Joc Pederson and Alex Wood project for hefty raises in arbitration. Ideally, the Dodgers will attempt to extend their own before looking on the outside for talent.
While the idea of Harper patrolling right field for the Dodgers in the near future may be fun to think about it, it just doesn’t seem like a realistic probability at this time.
It’s difficult to imagine one team committing to that magnitude financially in a single offseason. But no matter what happens, one thing’s for sure: Harper is going to sign a record-shattering contract. Whether with the Dodgers, Nationals, or another club.
