Hours after the announcement that free agent outfielder Bryce Harper had agreed to a megadeal with the Philadelphia Phillies worth $330 million over 13 years, Las Vegas oddsmakers began to take bets on how long before the 26 year old outfielder gets in one little fight, gets scared, and moves in with his aunt and uncle in Bel Air, California.
Harper, a former Rookie of the Year and National League MVP winner with the Washington Nationals, has been seen as the “big fish” of the 2019 Major League Baseball free agent class, and teams offered all sorts of amenities to acquire his services. Phillies GM Matt Klentak explained that for the Phillies, it was a family promise.
Klentak reported that the negotiations hinged around a conversation with Bryce’s mother, Sherri, who Klentak reports “warned me that if she caught wind of her little boy fighting or facing any sort of adversity, she would insist that he waived his no-trade clause and gets traded to the Dodgers or Angels, where he can live in warmth and safety in a well-guarded mansion with family.”
“Philadelphia is a pretty tough place to play,” oddsmaker Peter Rose told The Brown Valley Observer. “People screaming obscenities, people throwing batteries, people rushing out and trying to tackle you … and that’s before you even get into the stadium. It’s a safe bet that he doesn’t make it.”
Vegas odds opened with three years at 3:1, while two, four, and five years are at 5:1. Odds that he’ll spend over $500,000 in hair care products are running at 1:1.
Brown Valley Observer 