GM Mike Rizzo says the Nationals have considered an extension for Bryce Harper, but there have been no formal talks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, says he and the Nationals (with whom he has a strong relationship) have had informal discussions about the possibility of a Harper extension.
“My attitude is that you certainly want to know what they have to say,” Boras says. “Then, you talk about what they want to do. Historically, these type of players, it’s very difficult because often there are not player comparables that drive this contract.”
It would, of course, be a monumental development if the Nationals were to extend Harper at this stage. He is only three years from becoming a free agent at the tender age of 26, and if he stays healthy and continues to play at anything close to the elite level at which he performed last year, his next contract will likely become the largest the sport has ever seen.
When a reporter recently mentioned to Harper the possibility he might eventually receive a $400MM contract, Harper said, “Don’t sell me short,” implying that he might be able to get even more. It was, perhaps, a brash response, but it likely was not an inaccurate one. Boras, for his part, seems to be thinking of Harper’s next deal in much broader terms than are typically discussed for individual contracts.
“Player comparables are certainly evidence of the past market. But the true evidence of the current market, economic value of franchises, and the revenues of this game are going to be different three years from now,” he says. “It’s not the amount, but whether it’s good business or not. … There may be incentives that excite [the Nationals]. You look at A-Rod when he signed with the Texas Rangers, and what it did for the club’s TV deal. When he was traded to the Yankees, you saw what it did for the YES Network.”
It’s well known that Boras likes his clients to test the waters of free agency, and given the likelihood that Harper could break records, it seems unlikely that the Nationals will make an offer significant enough to prevent him from hitting the market. There have been previous indications that the Nats aren’t even making a Harper extension a top priority, at least not right now. Both sides, however, appear to be leaving the door open a bit, and if formal discussions do eventually take place, they could go to some very interesting places, since it’s hard to know what a Harper deal ought to look like, either in terms of dollars or duration.
600 million for the nats. He’s got the Yankees all over him sad to say.
The reality of it is that exactly!! Nobody can write him a check that big except the Yankees , so lets just stop this “Testing the waters BS!! Hes gonna be a Yankee in 3 years, like it or not!!
The Yankees wont pay him what he wants George might have but the current FO wont want to. no matter what they have coming off the books. That money is just extra profit to go in Hank and Hals pockets.
I have been big saying “look at what they have coming off the books,” in past post. But I have to agree with you, the Steinbrenner boys certainly care more about their own pockets than the product on the field. They very well could just sit tight and not do anything.
But I will say, if they sign Cespedes next off season, I say they do go after Harper. It will show they still will spend. If Judge ends up being what they expect and Harper in the same OF, would be nice. They have the pieces to keep payroll low with heralded prospects still coming; Bird (1B), Judge (OF), and Sanchez (C).
George Steinbrenner is not alive. The Yankees payroll in 2015 has barely changed the past 10 years give or take (it’s still high of course, but it hasn’t had a significant change). These numbers are not exact, but the Yankees payroll in 2005 was $208 million. In 2015, it was $219 million.
In 2015, the lowest payroll was the Marlins at $68 million. Had they had a $68 million payroll back in 2005, that would have been ranked 16th in all of baseball.
Only 3 teams in 2005 had a $100+ million payroll (Yankees, Mets, Red Sox). In 2015, 22 teams had a $100 million + payroll
The Mets are the only team who had payroll higher in 2005 ($103 mil) than in 2015 ($101 mil), and the Yankees by far had the fewest difference in payroll among the other 29 teams
Pretty funny that the 2 teams who haven’t changed their payroll much over the years play in the most expensive city in the country and are ranked 1st (by far) and 7th in Forbes too.
I know that you know as a Mets fan, the Wilpons were cheap for a very long time, and most Yankee fans will tell you, Hank and Hal are nothing like their father (the 2013 offseason the exception, not the rule)
Yea but keep in mind, $43M of that 2016 payroll still falls on George with A-Rod and Tex. Another $25M on the boys in resigning their ace CC.
The worst contract you can pin to the Steinbrenner boys is probably Beltran, 3/45 for ages 37-39. Otherwise they are trying to trend to younger and cheaper. The only other $15M contracts are to McCann who will slot to DH when Sanchez is ready, and youth in Tanaka and Ellsbury.
Right but that was my point. If George wanted to improve the team, he spent, and spent big. Hank/Hal haven’t spend nearly as much. ZERO dollars on MLB free agency this year. ZERO.
(and as I said, 2013 offseason the exception, not the rule). If George was alive, there’s a chance players like Scherzer and/or Lester and/or Price are Yankees and I’m sure Robbie Cano is back in NY too.
Allow me to point out however that I am not entirely disappointed with the Steinbrenner’s approach which is to get younger (though you can also give Cashman the credit too there for the trades). My point is people should stop making assumptions that the Yankees will sign players X, Y and Z.
This would be worse for yankee fans than Tanaka needing TJ.
LOL, yeah okay.
Watch him end up as a Phillie
The Ownership of the Nat’s knows how valuable Harper is to the future of the franchise. If they don’t sign him to along term contract their fan base will shrink dramatically & they know that!
DC is one of the most transient city in the country. Harper is probably the reason half the fans go to see play.Old baseball geeks like myself would still be at 25 or 30 games a season But without #34 in the lineup they will lose alot of younger fan & that’s who’s moving here now. Young professionals who make a great living & have plenty of disposable income. Pay The Man!!!!!!