Bryce Harper, Nationals agree to deal, avoid hearing
Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals avoided a potentially acrimonious arbitration hearing by agreeing Monday to a two-year, $7.5 million contract, according to a person with direct knowledge of the agreement.
The person spoke to Paste BN Sports on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been announced.
Harper, 22, the Nationals and agent Scott Boras were at odds over whether Harper was to be eligible for salary arbitration this winter as part of the five-year, $9.9 million deal he signed when he was selected with the first overall pick in 2010.
That deal was struck seconds before a midnight deadline for the Nationals to sign Harper or lose his rights.The agreement was reached in such hasty fashion that Boras and the Nationals were at odds over whether it included a stipulation that Harper's contract be superseded once he was eligible for salary arbitration.
Harper was due to make $1 million this season, but at 2 years, 159 days service time, he's also arbitration-eligible, a process that likely would boost his salary to between $2 million and $3 million.
More notably, that would set a salary floor for Harper's final three years of arbitration eligibility, which could cost the Nationals several million more dollars until he's eligible for free agency after the 2018 season.
With as much as $10 million at stake, the Nationals and Harper were set for a Tuesday arbitration hearing. Harper, according to Rizzo, skipped this weekend's Nationals fan fest because of the pending matter.
While Harper, as a Boras client, figures to test the free agent market once he's eligible, avoiding the hearing certainly won't hurt the relationship between player and club going forward. Harper has stated in the past he'd prefer to remain a National for the long term.
The two-time All-Star outfielder hit .273 with 13 homers and 32 RBI in 2014. He'll remain arbitration-eligible for two more seasons after this contract expires.
GALLERY: Bryce Harper, through the years