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Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals agree to 1-year, $21.65 million deal

By Jake Goldstein-Street

Apr 10, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) hustles to third against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 14-6. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) hustles to third against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 14-6. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals have agreed to terms on a contract, but that doesn’t push back his free agency timeline.

Superstar outfielder Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals reached an agreement Saturday for $21.65 million for the 2018 season, according to Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports was the first to report the financial details of the deal, which could be worth $1 million more if Harper wins MVP. He also noted this is the largest one-year deal for a player eligible for arbitration in MLB history. In comparison, Harper is making $13.625 million this season.

Bryce Harper is back to performing at levels near his 2015 MVP season. The 24-year-old comes into Saturday’s action with a .372 batting average. He also has scored 37 runs and boasts a .496 OBP, both of which are MLB highs.

This new contract does not push back Bryce Harper’s timeline for free agency, however. He is still eligible for free agency after the 2018 season, but now the Nationals know the price of Harper for next season. Also, it builds goodwill between the franchise and Harper at a much needed time.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported in December 2016 that Harper was asking for 10-year contract worth near $400 million. These numbers mean that once Harper hits free agency, he will likely smash the record for largest contract.

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Harper told Nightengale in March that he wasn’t thinking a ton about the future:

"“If you worry about the future, that’s when you get yourself in trouble. You start thinking, ‘I got to do this, I got to do that.’ I want to live for now.”"

In the past, it hasn’t seemed that the Nationals were willing to give Harper money in this range, but this large arbitration deal raises questions about the Nationals intentions to possibly change their intentions.

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