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Washington Nationals News: What Bryce Harper’s next contract could be worth

By Pablo Roa

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Good evening DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.

In today’s Daily, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post discusses one of the most pressing issues facing the Nationals over the next few years: what to do with MVP Bryce Harper after (or before) his contract expires in 2018.

As Kilgore notes, the Nationals (and perhaps Harper himself) would love for the 23-year-old superstar to stay in the nation’s capital for his entire career. The Nationals have Harper under contract through 2018, but if the team fail to sign him to a longterm extension before then, he and agent Scott Boras will likely test the free agent market and demand a very lucrative deal — a deal that could be the richest in the history of the game.

Harper, of course, is the Nationals’ most important player and one of the best players in baseball. The former No. 1 overall draft pick was rewarded for his breakout 2015 season with his first NL MVP Award, and given his age and unmatched upside, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be even better next year and in years to come.

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But keeping Harper in a Nationals uniform for life won’t be easy, and it’ll undoubtedly be an extremely expensive endeavor that the Nationals may not be ready to take. As Kilgore notes in his article, Harper could demand a deal in the $400+ million range and he’ll undoubtedly attract the interest of several “big money” teams if he were to hit free agency.

Nevertheless, his historic 2015 season showed why the Nationals should do whatever it takes to keep Harper in D.C. for years to come. That being said, it’ll be interesting to see if the team is willing to roll out the biggest contract in the history of baseball over the next couple of years.

Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson discusses Ryan Zimmerman‘s volunteering efforts at Food & Friends, an organization that delivers meals to people in need.

Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.

What Bryce Harper’s next contract could be worth

(Adam Kilgore, Washington Post)

The future home of Bryce Harper has long induced a mixture of fantasy and foreboding within Washington Nationals fans. They can picture a Curly W engraved on the cap of his Cooperstown plaque, the culmination of a career spent in the nation’s capital, the city he referred to Thursday night as “my town.” They also can picture Harper prowling the outfield for some other team, perhaps wearing the pinstripes of the New York Yankees, the team he adored in his youth. The only downside to Harper’s greatness is bearing the thought of him displaying it someplace else.

The question of whether Harper will leave or stay has loomed since the Nationals drafted him with the first overall pick in 2010. It is no longer so far away. The Nationals control Harper’s contractual rights for three more seasons. Read full article here.

Zimmerman volunteers at Food & Friends

(Bill Ladson, MLB.com)

WASHINGTON — Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, his wife, Heather, and members of the Nationals’ front office spent time volunteering at Food & Friends, an organization that delivers nutritious meals to needy people with critical illnesses, on Monday afternoon.

Ryan and Heather, wearing gloves, aprons and black hair nets, grabbed cooked turkeys off baking trays, wrapped them in tin foil and packaged them in boxes for delivery. This Thursday, Food & Friends will deliver 3,500 Thanksgiving meals for D.C.-area residents living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses. This is Zimmerman’s second consecutive year helping F&F, while the Nationals have been involved with the organization for eight consecutive years. Read full article here.

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