Bryce Harper’s bad play may help the Nationals retain this future Hall of Famer.
Bryce Harper has been the face of the Washington Nationals since being selected as the #1 overall pick in the 2010 draft.
Conventional wisdom said that if Harper met a fraction of the sky-high expectations, then he’d assume the mantle of ‘Mr. National.’
But, as things have turned out, Harper’s potential departure from Washington has gotten about the same level of discussion. He’d be the first $400 million contract, so the conversation went, with bids coming from big market players, like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs.
Then something else happened–the 2018 season. Harper is on pace to have the worst season of his career. He’s hitting under .250 and, at one point in July, his average dipped to .209.
Courtesy: thekicker.com
The good news is that Harper’s 2018 power numbers are at career levels. So far this year he has belted 26 homers, hit 19 doubles, and has driven in 67 runs.
But, let’s face reality: that $400 million contract is no longer a given. One reason is the free agent market, generally: teams have veered away from those multi-year, $200 million-plus contracts that they had been handing out liberally. Consider how long free-agent slugger, J.D. Martinez, stayed on the market last year. When he did sign, it was for 5 years and “only” $110 million.
So the big question is this: What is Harper’s market value? On the plus side, he is a 7-time All-Star and he’ll only be 27 years old next Opening Day. However, his 2018 performance raises a red flag for GM’s. Will execs view 2018 as a one-off?
I don’t envision a team laying out $300 million dollars for Harper, let alone $400 million, for a player coming off a down year–especially now that MLB is taking a more conservative approach economically. Having said that, Harper’s 2018 performance may work in the favor of one team–the Nats.
Although the Nats have struggled this year, the team still has a realistic chance of getting into the postseason. That means there’s still time for Harper to reverse the current narrative.
If Harper sustains a hot streak and leads the Nats into the postseason, then the market will likely turn in his favor. If that happens, there’s a good chance he’ll move on and the Nats will be forced to build around young players, like Trea Turner and Juan Soto. However, if Bryce plods along with average-to-below-average numbers, then the Nats are likely to be in good position to retain their franchise player.
Time will tell how this all plays out.
