News in Bryce Harper world has been slow this month, and the star free agent is not expected to sign a new contract soon. But ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted something Thursday morning that might perk fans’ ears up around Washington.
Olney wrote that the sense among MLB executives is that Harper was headed for a return to the Washington Nationals.
Baseball execs are baseball fans at heart, and they wonder, too, about where Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will sign. Most common guesses — informed speculation — that I’ve heard from folks within the game: Machado to the Phillies, Harper back to the Nationals.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 29, 2018
If the Nationals are willing to up their previous offer to Harper, which was a reported 10-year, $300 million deal toward the end of the 2018 season, then Harper would gladly consider staying in Washington. He spent a good amount of time in September openly reflecting on how much he enjoyed playing for the Nationals.
The question is, will the Nationals offer him more? They would need to find the extra cash somewhere to fight off big spenders like Philadelphia, but in a word, yes. Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote that the team hasn’t forgotten about Harper.
“There are executives who believe the Nationals could still pivot and retain Harper because that is ownership’s desire,” Sherman wrote.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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