It’s been widely assumed that Bryce Harper will test the free agent market after next season, but the Washington Nationals are holding out some hope of getting a contract extension done with their star before then.
According to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, Nats GM Mike Rizzo said Tuesday that he is not assuming that a contract extension is out of the question for Harper. He also said he would be surprised if he and Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, did not talk about an extension prior to Harper’s free agency.
“I am not going to assume he is that kind of Boras client that gets out into the marketplace,” Rizzo said, via the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. “I feel like I have a great relationship with Bryce and his family since he was 16 [Harper was the first overall pick by the Nats in 2010]. This organization has a very good relationship with the Boras Corporation. [Negotiations] have not begun. There are no plans for it to happen. There is no time and date. But knowing the relationships all around, I would be surprised if we did not explore it at some point.”
That is good news for Washington fans, who might have thought there would not be a possibility to reach a deal with Harper before he hits free agency. And when it comes to Washington’s relationship with Boras, there is a good history there. The team has treated his client, Stephen Strasburg, quite well. They gave him a 7-year, $175 million extension and have protected the pitcher from overuse.
Still, thinking that Harper won’t explore free agency could be wishful thinking. Very few times in the history of the game has there been a player as talented as Harper to hit free agency at such a young age. He’ll be 26 when he hits free agency, meaning he could sign a 12-year deal and a team could still be confident that they would get 10 or so years of Harper in top form. That’s why there’s a lot of talk about him getting a potential $400 million deal. You know the Yankees will be interested, and another team to be concerned about is the Cubs.
