Nationals Rumors: Bryce Harper reportedly turned down huge contract

Washington Nationals rumors will flow now with free agency underway. One of those free agents, Bryce Harper, who reportedly turned down a huge deal recently.

Bryce Harper is now officially a free agent, meaning he can gauge his value on the open market. However, recent Washington Nationals rumors say he turned down one last attempt from the Nats stop him hitting free agency.

According to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, the team made an “aggressive offer” for Harper, after negotiating with his agent Scott Boras throughout September. Initially, there were no figures mentioned other than the sum of the offer coming in at less than $400 million.

Janes then reported on Wednesday morning that the offer to Harper was a 10-year offer for around $300 million with no opt-outs. That would bring the annual average value all the way up to a hefty $30 million for one of the biggest free agents in baseball history.

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Speaking to Janes at the general managers’ meeting, Mike Rizzo said “We took advantage of our exclusivity late in the season” to negotiate with Harper but “couldn’t reach a deal”. But another quote from Rizzo seems to indicate this won’t be their last move. He also told Janes that “I’m comfortable with the alternative [to Harper re-signing], but I’m uncomfortable with the statement that we’re a better team without him”, which seems as though they’re going to make every effort to keep him.

Assuming the reported figure is true, it would seem to back up the fact that it’s just the opening gambit from a team who is going to be a huge factor in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes. To the media, Rizzo has always been saying Harper is part of the team’s plans and even recently told Jamal Collier of MLB.com “He’s our guy. So we’re looking forward to seeing what can transpire”.

With all of the signs the Nationals have been giving off, and the reports of this large contract offer, it would be foolish to think this team isn’t making a legitimate effort to keep the former MVP.

The yearly figure of $30 million is pretty close to where some experts have had his eventual contract landing. Jon Heyman predicted he would sign an 11-year, $30 million per year deal, while his expert predicted 11-year pact that would pay $34 million per year. MLB Trade Rumors also predicted $30 million in their yearly predictions, but over 14 years instead of 11 years.

One of the missing pieces, that the Nats offer didn’t include, could be the opt-outs that you would expect to be included in his final contract. After what is deemed a down-year by his standards, if Harper were to have conveniently placed opt-outs then he could potentially increase his earnings if he gets back to an MVP standard.

The Washington Nationals are clearly going to make an aggressive bid to keep their homegrown superstar. Unfortunately for the Nats fans, it’s likely going to be a long time before we get confirmation on where Bryce Harper will play in 2019.