Bryce Harper is about to make a ton of money and is promoting his contract negotiations with a video game
- Bryce Harper will enter free agency this offseason and likely sign one of the richest contracts in baseball history.
- Harper was also recently selected to be the cover athlete for the next edition of the video game "MLB The Show."
- Harper appears to be teasing which team he'll sign with through the eventual game cover.
Bryce Harper is set to sign one of the richest contracts in MLB history this offseason.
Just 26 years old and still at the peak of his powers, Harper is a free agent this year and could demand a new deal that is a significant fraction of a billion dollars.
On Friday, the Nationals extended Harper a qualifying offer - a one-year contract worth $17.9 million. The offer is a formality for Harper, one that he will reject. But by making the move, the Nationals ensure that they will receive a compensatory draft pick should he decide to sign with another team.
That's when things get interesting.
With Harper on the open market, there's almost no telling how high the offers could go - something in the ballpark of Giancarlo Stanton's monster deal is not out of the question, and contenders including the Phillies, Cubs, and more are all in play.
But while some stars would let their agents do the work and announce their contracts once everything is set and signed, Harper appears to be openly promoting his free agency as the cover star of the latest edition of the "MLB The Show" video game series.
Video game cover stars who switch teams have made for some interesting problems in recent years.
Kyrie Irving was set to grace the cover of NBA 2K18, but was traded from the Cavaliers to the Celtics between when the games were printed and released, resulting in an awkward series of ads from the video game franchise.
Having learned their lesson, when it came time for LeBron James the cover star of NBA 2K19, they made the decision to leave his jersey absent and opt for a headshot instead - a move that paid off when LeBron joined the Lakers in the offseason.
Now, it appears that "The Show" is taking a lesson from those two covers, and leaning into the mystery of Harper's jersey.
Whichever one he dons, it will be worth hundreds of millions.