Rizzo: Nationals expect to discuss extension with Harper
While Bryce Harper is the blue-chip pending free agent of the 2018 class, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo expects to sit down with Harper and his agent, Scott Boras, to discuss a long-term extension before the season, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
"I feel like I have a great relationship with Bryce and his family since he was 16," Rizzo said Tuesday. "This organization has a very good relationship with the Boras Corporation. (Negotiations) have not begun. There are no plans for it to happen. There is no time and date. But knowing the relationships all around, I would be surprised if we did not explore it at some point."
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Boras, known league-wide as a shrewd agent, also represents, among others, Stephen Strasburg, with whom the Nationals agreed to a seven-year, $175-million contract last offseason - one year away from him becoming a free agent.
The 25-year-old Harper will likely lure a record-breaking nine-figure deal if he hits the open market next winter, with some speculating the superstar will get more than $400 million.
The outfielder has spent his entire six-year career with the Nationals, posting a .285/.386/.515 slash line over 768 games while winning National League MVP in 2015 and NL Rookie of the Year in 2012 after being selected first overall in the 2010 draft.