Nationals might finally be willing to bid higher on Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper rejected Washington’s offer of $300 million, but it appears that the Nationals aren’t ready to call it quits just yet.

Though it strongly seemed like Bryce Harper’s chapter in Washington was over, that might not be the case. At least for the time being, it looks as if the Nationals have not yet given up hope that Harper will choose to re-sign with them.

It appeared that the Nats had officially closed the door on the Bryce Harper era when they only offered him a contract worth $300 million. Harper has made it clear that he’s looking for what would turn it out to be a record-breaking deal, one that could possibly be worth more than $400 million over the next 10 years.

Obviously, $400 million is one heck of a financial commitment, and it didn’t seem like the Nationals were willing to go all in. But now, according to a tweet by Jim Bowden, it’s possible that Washington’s initial offer of $300 million was just that… an initial offer.

The most interesting part of this story: before Christmas, Harper and his agent Scott Boras met with the Nationals for five hours, as reported by Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. If they chatted for that long, it’s very possible that they were trying to work toward an agreement.

And if that’s the case, then it’s also very possible that the Nationals are finally willing to succumb to Harper’s demands and pay him the monster contract that he wants. With Boras as his agent, it’s already a given that Harper won’t be settling for anything less than his record-breaking deal.

Of course, this could end up being much ado about nothing. The Nationals could realize that paying $400 million to one player for 10 years is way too much.

But then again, Harper is a generational-type player and he’s only 26 years old, having barely even reached the prime of his career. Maybe, just maybe, he’s worth the outrageous sum of money. Only time will tell what the Nationals have in mind.