There has been a lot of talk about Bryce Harper turning down a massive extension offer from the Washington Nationals on the last day of the 2018 season, but dollars and cents weren’t the only reason the star outfielder chose not to entertain it.
According to Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post, the offer Harper turned down was for $300 million over 10 years. While the money is obviously astronomical, Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports reports that it was missing something significant that Harper is seeking — a no-trade clause.
One other reason Harper didnt take the Nats offer of about 300M for 10 years is that it did not include a no-trade clause, which is usually a certainty in mega deals. The offer is being viewed as “preliminary,” though for the moment both the nats and Harper are shopping elsewhere
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 8, 2018
It’s unclear how unwilling the Nationals were to offer a no-trade clause, but they are fairly common now with massive free agent contracts. Alex Rodriguez had one with his 10-year, $275 million deal with the New York Yankees, and Giancarlo Stanton got one from the Miami Marlins with an extension that guaranteed him $325 million over 13 seasons back in 2014.
In order to put forth a competitive offer, the Nationals know they are going to have to include a no-trade clause. They may have been willing to include one if Harper engaged them in negotiations, as the offer was not viewed as a “take it or leave it.”
Whatever the case, $300 million does not sound like it is going to come all that close to getting it done for Harper. If that’s the case, $300 million without a no-trade clause was easy for Harper and his agent Scott Boras to turn down.
