MONDAY, 5:56pm: Harlan has details on Zimmerman's new contract. He says one of the final hold-ups was Zimmerman's insistence that there be no club options. It seems that this deal has been done for a few weeks now.
SUNDAY, 9:26pm: Chico Harlan weighs in with an update. It is indeed a five-year, $45MM extension for Zimmerman, as previously speculated. This contract overrides the one-year, $3.325MM deal that Zimmerman and the Nats agreed on prior to the season. Zimmerman had a refreshing take on the negotiation process:
"It just gets to the point where you think, 'How much [money] do you really need? How much do you need, and do you really want to be here?' I think that's the most important thing…The whole point of being a free agent and having a negotiating power is to play where you want to want to play. And I don't really need to go into that. I'm happy here."
8:43pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes that the Nationals have agreed on an extension with Ryan Zimmerman. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but an official announcement could come tomorrow.
Previously we'd heard that Zimmerman didn't want to negotiate mid-season, but clearly things have changed. Last week, there was speculation that his extension would be five years, $45MM, and would take effect during the 2009 season.
