![]() Giancarlo Stanton has the record for most guaranteed money at $325 million and Zack Greinke has the record for AAV at $34.4 million, and both those deals happened three seasons ago. Armed with the knowledge that Boras was asking far more, and a season’s worth of understanding between the two sides that even though Harper loves the city it would still take a lot to keep him there, putting this deal on the table and expecting it to be enough would be genuinely idiotic by Washington. If this was the first and last offer the Nationals were planning to extend to Harper with the genuine belief that he would accept it then that is when it could veer into the insulting region. If this was indeed an offer to save face as they let Harper go, they had to make it believable and they did. The “not insulting” qualifier is important here, because if they’d thrown out a 7-year, $200 million something or other, gotten rejected, and then threw up their hands and said “Well that’s it! Goodbye, Bryce! Sorry to our fans!” that would have been far too transparent. But at the high asking price from Boras? Or for that length of time? When they don’t know what other top pieces they can really put around him at this point in the team’s success cycle? When you take that into account, this could be an offer they knew would get rejected but still looked good, optics-wise. and that the Nationals, in theory, would love to have him back because he’s Bryce Harper. As much as that is possible with the media constantly asking about the latest updates from both sides.Įveryone knows Harper loves D.C. So far, they’ve played fair and kept as much of the behind the scenes discussion that must be going on to themselves. The Nationals have been smart to keep their discussions with Harper respectful throughout his final season and his entry into free agency. So, knowing all of that, what were the Nationals trying to do here? The “well. It’s not like the owners don’t have that money and that Harper isn’t worth it. This is Harper’s one big shot at free agency, he’s only 26, and Boras has been very clear that he’s aiming at least $100 million higher. ![]() But Harper and Boras were also never going to accept that, historically high AAV or not. The Nationals have made sure to keep themselves in the Harper sweepstakes simply by not acting like complete idiots so far, and that deal would be highest AAV of any position player free agent ever ( Alex Rodriguez is the current record holder at $27.5 million AAV for his 10-year contract with the Yankees). Also according to Janes, the offer was not considered insulting but was turned down regardless. ![]() According to Washington Post reporter Chelsea Janes, the Nationals presented a 10-year, $300 million bid to Harper and his agent Scott Boras on the final day of the regular season. This isn’t a surprise, nor is the offer they put on the table. the team he’s been on for his entire career. He has spent the entirety of his seven-year career in Washington.The first major known offer of Bryce Harper’s long-anticipated free agency came from. Harper, a six-time All-Star and the 2015 NL MVP, is expected to be the most-sought-after free agent this winter. Fancred's Jon Heyman reported the Nationals made the offer on Sept. The offer was worth less than $400 million and did not contain any opt-outs, one source told the Post. "We didn't get anything done, but he's a guy that is near and dear to us, and we are not closing any doors.'' "We've had conversations, and we utilized our exclusivity to negotiate with him late in the season through when he became eligible to sign with a team,'' Rizzo told reporters in Carlsbad at the GM meetings in Carlsbad. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo confirmed Tuesday that the team had contract talks with Harper before the end of the season. Superstar outfielder Bryce Harper became a free agent last weekend, but not before turning down an "aggressive offer" from the Nationals, the Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing multiple people familiar with the negotiations.
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