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Bryce Harper Signs Two-Year Deal With Washington Nationals

By Cory Buck

Oct 7, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning of game four of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning of game four of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Nationals signed outfielder Bryce Harper to a two-year deal and avoid a grievance hearing tied to Harper’s arbitration rights as a result.

Once again, the Washington Nationals and Bryce Harper avoided some nasty consequences with a last-minute deal. This time, instead of losing the player outright, the Nationals risked a grievance hearing over Harper’s salary arbitration rights. Instead, the sides will avoid all that as Washington signed Harper to a two-year deal worth $7.5 million, per MLB Insider Jon Heyman.

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The Nationals and Harper had a grievance scheduled in relation to Harper’s arbitration rights and how much salary he could command this season and beyond. It’s the beyond part that most interests Harper. As the Washington Post notes, salary compounds each year for arbitration, which could mean millions more for Harper down the road, when his contract demands can vastly outweight his current haul.

The agreement came just a day before a Tuesday grievance hearing might have awarded Harper a similar salary, so it works to the benefit of both parties that they got this out of the way. Now Bryce Harper can focus on rebounding from a disappointing 2014 season and GM Mike Rizzo can turn his focus to improving the rest of the roster for the 2014 NL East champions.

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