WASHINGTON (AP) - The Washington Nationals and No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Harper are facing a deadline to get a deal done.
Major League Baseball clubs have until midnight as Monday turns to Tuesday to agree on contracts with players picked in June’s amateur draft.
Harper is a 17-year-old power-hitting junior college catcher the Nationals want to convert to an outfielder.
The Nationals know this scenario well: They came to terms with last year’s No. 1 choice, pitcher Stephen Strasburg, with about a minute or so left on the clock. Harper and Strasburg both are represented by Scott Boras.
Asked Sunday about Harper, Strasburg said: “If he doesn’t want to play here, then we don’t want him here.”
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