The Washington Nationals and Bryce Harper have avoided arbitration, with an agreement on Friday.
It’s been a busy day around MLB, as teams and players have been working on arbitration deals ahead of Friday’s 1 p.m. deadline. Star outfielder Bryce Harper can now be added to that list, as the Washington Nationals were able to avoid arbitration with the 24-year-old. According to Buster Olney, it’s going to be a nice little payday.
This is the second time that Harper and the Nationals were able to avoid arbitration, as they also did so prior to the 2014 season.
Back in 2015, Harper wrapped up a career year, belting 42 homers and becoming the youngest player ever to become the unanimous MVP. But last year, he struggled to duplicate that performance.
In the 147 games he played last year, he posted a .243 average with 24 homers. A shoulder injury caused him to miss a few games in August, but he still finished with 86 RBI’s on the season.
Rumors are circulating that the outfielder could possibly be asking for a monster-sized deal. While it’s all speculation right now, the early word is that he’s looking for something along the lines of 10 years and $400 million. One would have to be skeptical of that kind of deal, after the 10-year deal he signed with the Texas Rangers back in 2000.
Obviously there’s no way to accurately predict the success of Harper, but he is without question deserving of a contract that will get him paid. It’s a matter of what the Nationals want to do with him over the next couple of seasons.
As a side note from Friday, the Nationals also settled with righ-hander Tanner Roark and catcher Derek Norris ahead of arbitration hearings.
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