Report: Nationals still hope to keep Bryce Harper long-term

Though it may be tempting for some observers, the Washington Nationals aren’t motivated to trade Bryce Harper.

One big reason for this, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred, is that the Nationals still have hopes of keeping Harper long-term as he is poised to hit free agency this winter.

Rivals believe there’s almost no chance nats will market/trade Bryce Harper in 28-hour window that exists. 1. They want to sign him long-term. 2. They are within striking distance of 2 young teams. 3. They have team mostly back together (except Strasburg).

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 30, 2018

The Nationals are actually under .500 at 52-53 and sit six games out in the NL East. They’ve been treading water lately, and it seems like Washington may be clinging to a long-shot scenario, especially when you consider Harper’s recent comments on his future. Even if they were very motivated, though, a trade that big probably isn’t coming together smoothly in such a short amount of time.