Bryce Harper’s time in Washington nearing a sad end
In the midst of a disappointing 2018 season, the Washington Nationals put their superstar Bryce Harper on waivers. That doesn’t mean they are giving up on him yet, however.
The Washington Nationals know at least one team is interested in Bryce Harper, but that doesn’t mean they are ready to part with their young superstar just yet.
Harper, the 25-year-old former National League MVP, was claimed off revocable waivers by an unknown team on Sunday, according to the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes and Jorge Castillo. The Nationals have until Tuesday afternoon to either work out a trade with that team, or to pull back Harper and keep him the rest of the season.
That Washington is even considering moving Harper is a sign of how disappointing the 2018 season has been. What started with World Series hopes now looks like a lost year. The Nationals (62-63) are currently 7.5 games out of the NL East lead, and 6.5 out of the wild card.
With that disappointment comes tough decisions. Harper is a free agent after this season, and if he doesn’t feel like the Nationals franchise is going in the right direction (and all signs point to the fact that they’re not) he is unlikely to re-sign. Harper isn’t the only veteran the Nationals have to consider parting ways with. Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams were also reportedly claimed off waivers, while the team made Mark Reynolds, Matt Wieters and Gio Gonzalez available on the market.
Harper is hitting .246 this season with 30 home runs and 79 RBI. Since the All-Star break, when he won the Home Run Derby in his home park, he is hitting .350.
That doesn’t mean these players are headed out of Washington just yet, however. All players traded in August, after the July 31 trade deadline, must pass through waivers. The waiver wire is usually a way to determine which, if any, teams are interested in a player. Since players can be pulled back even if they’re claimed, it’s a no-risk way to assess the market. Many veteran players are put on waivers in August that have virtually no chance of changing teams. Andrew McCutchen was put on waivers by San Francisco, while Toronto put up Justin Smoak.
Trading Harper seems unlikely at this point. Washington will likely want several top prospects in return, and teams may not want to part with those players knowing Harper can walk after just a month and a half. If Washington still holds any hope of holding on to Harper beyond this season, they have to keep him even if that risks him leaving with nothing in return.
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In order in avoid having Harper’s time in Washington come to a sad ending, Washington has to turn things around this year. The remainder of August will be pivotal. They play the Philadelphia Phillies six times in that span and need to win those series to have any chance of keeping their fragile playoff hopes alive.
Barring a miracle, however, Washington will once again end their season on a sour note. Then they will have to endure seeing the cornerstone of their franchise, a superstar in the prime of his career, walk out of the door. One team, at least, wants Harper. Washington has the next six weeks to convince him to stay.