Bryce Harper rejected a 10-year $300 million offer from the Washington Nationals late last reason to become a free agent instead, multiple reports confirmed this week.
The Nationals tried to lock the 26-year-old to a long-term deal and make him one of the league’s most paid athletes last season but Harper chose to find a deal on his own. According to reports, Washington has since then receded the offer but would be open to contractual talks with the baseman.
The Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo disclosed on Tuesday that the club had attempted to engage Harper’s agent Scott Boras but the deal fell off.
“We’ve had conversations and we utilized our exclusivity to negotiate with him late in the season when he became eligible to sign with a team,” Rizzo said. “We didn’t get anything done, but he’s a guy that is near and dear to us and we are not closing any doors.”
While he is yet to get any deals closed yet, Harper is hyped to get the biggest deal amongst the 164 free agents this season. He is a six-time All-Star with 184 homers and an average of .900 on base.
When asked of his future during the contractual negotiations earlier in September, the 26-year-old said he was unsure of his future with the club.
“I can’t really stand here and say it’s going to be ‘farewell’ or anything like that because nobody knows,” he said. “Nobody knows what this offseason holds.”
