NEW YORK -- Former Major League outfielder Jayson Werth knows what it’s like to have played for the Phillies during their glory years. He was one of the reasons they were in the postseason from 2007-10, winning a World Series title in 2008.

He expects the postseason runs to return to Philadelphia this year after the Phillies agreed to terms with outfielder Bryce Harper on a 13-year, $330 million deal on Thursday. Werth believes Phillies managing partner John Middleton had a lot to do with the excitement that is going on in Phillies Nation.

“Middleton is the type of guy that loves his team. He wants to win,” Werth said via telephone. “He was not the majority partner when I was there. He is the type of owner that is competitive. He is involved. He is a great guy. He sees an opportunity to help the franchise. [Signing Harper is] a huge commitment from both sides. It’s the type of relationship that needs to be thought out, and those things take time.”

During the free-agency process, Harper didn’t call Werth to discuss playing in Philadelphia. He didn’t need to. During their years as teammates with the Nationals from 2012-17, Werth often told Harper what it was like to play in that city.

“I told him if you win in Philly, it’s the best,” Werth said. “I don’t think any city wins better. They win the best and lose the worst. It’s an awesome place to play. It’s a great city. There is no place better to win. There is a lot of opportunity for him. Thirteen years is obviously a long time. They expect you to win in that city.”

With Harper on the Phillies, Werth said the National League East will be interesting to watch this coming season. He thinks the Mets, Braves and Nationals will also be vying for the division title.

"It’s probably one of the best divisions in baseball right now” he said.

Going forward, Werth believes Harper's legacy will be remembered by what he does in Philadelphia. After all, Harper has 13 years to proves his worth.

“[In Philly], it’s what have you done for me lately. You have to go out and compete. With any long-term contract, the stakes are higher,” Werth said. “You work your whole life to get to that point. Now, it’s, 'OK, now you've got to put up.'

“You have a bigger contract and the expectations are higher. It’s not easy. A lot of guys have received these long-term deals and it changed everything. It’s well-documented. But Bryce is a little bit different. Most of guys who received the long-term deals, they were not on the cover of Sports Illustrated when they were 16. They weren’t doing Gatorade commercials during their rookie year. Maybe they weren’t [an] MVP [Award winner.]

“Bryce is a once-in-a-generation player. He almost was created in a lab. This all is what has been laid out for him at a young age. It’s not surprising. The difference going forward is how he writes his next chapters. That is going to be his legacy. He is going to be remembered as a Phillie. If he goes to the Hall of Fame, he will be in there as a member of the Phillies. These next 13 years will define his career.”