Nationals not expecting to have Bryce Harper back

The Washington Nationals on Friday confirmed the belief held by many: They are not expecting to have Bryce Harper back.

Team owner Mark Lerner joined Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier on 106.7 The Fan on Friday, the day that the Patrick Corbin signing was announced. His interview turned to the Bryce Harper matter, and he not only said the team is not expecting Harper back, but he also said that they might not even have room for him.

“If he comes back, it’s a strong possibility that we won’t be able to make it work. But I really don’t expect him to come back at this point,” Lerner told Paulsen and Rouhier. “I think they’ve decided to move on. There’s just too much money out there that he’d be leaving on the table. That’s just not [Scott Boras’] MO to leave money on the table.”

Boras is Harper’s agent, and he represents multiple Nationals players.

Lerner says the team met with Boras and Harper and presented an offer to the former NL MVP. That was reportedly for 10 years at $300 million. They told Harper and Boras that was the best they could do in order to be able to have enough money to field a competitive team.

Harper is said to be meeting with teams in free agency and hearing pitches this week. It’s unclear which team or teams may be in the lead for him, but if he turned down $300 million from the Nationals, expect Harper to cash in for more on the open market.