![]() With this in mind, the most efficient way to improve may be to strengthen the weakest links of a roster, not to target brand-name stars as saviors. That’s one reason that a successful MLB team rarely allocates more than 16 percent of its payroll to one player. While it’s possible to win with a stars-and-scrubs approach, that’s inherently riskier, given that one injury can derail a club’s entire season. The same is true for the light-hitting starting shortstop and the back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. A slugger hits only once every turn through a lineup, an ace pitcher pitches once every five days. Baseball, by rule and nature, spreads around opportunity more uniformly. While it’s unclear whether the Nationals still want to compete for Harper, they don’t need him to improve over last season.īaseball is a weak-link sport, meaning that the quality of the minor contributors on a team is more important than in a sport like basketball, where star power is paramount. They have improved themselves in a National League East where every team - save for the Miami Marlins - seems intent on trying to dramatically improve this offseason.Īfter the Nationals finished 82-80 last season, FanGraphs projects them as the sixth-best team in the majors at the moment - the best team in the division - with a 91-71 forecasted record. But according to some forecasts, they are already better without him. It wasn’t clear if the Nationals would be able to compete without Harper. Rather than allocating vast resources to one free agent superstar, the Nationals made smaller moves to shore up their weak spots, signing starting pitcher Patrick Corbin on Tuesday to bolster their rotation and adding two catchers earlier in the offseason. All rights reserved.The best thing to happen to the Washington Nationals this offseason might be Bryce Harper turning down the $300 million contract offered by the club at the end of the season. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information / Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. ^ Back to Top ^ © 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. He will face two big tasks - corralling his emotions, and stepping into the batter's box against longtime teammate and three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer. Tuesday night, Harper will return to Washington for the first time in a major league uniform other than that of the Nationals. The second offer was for more years but less money, sending Harper down the path that would eventually lead to his 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies at the end of February. We can work off that," thinking it was just the start of negotiations.īut, with Harper's free agency dragging on without any other teams stepping up big, the next offer from the Nationals would not come for more than three months. Harper, according to the Post, said his thinking at the time was, "All right, cool. The Nationals' offer: 10 years, $300 million, including deferred money. When the rain persisted and the game was called in the eighth inning, Harper met wife Kayla in a hallway and together they opened the envelope. Harper, with the game not yet called, declined to open it right away, stuffing it into his pocket. The Lerners told Harper how much they wanted him to remain a National, and handed the star outfielder an envelope. He was instead greeted by the team's owners, Ted Lerner and son Mark Lerner. But when he got there, according to the report, Martinez was not there. 26 game - was summoned to manager Dave Martinez's office. In the midst of a rain delay during the Nationals' final home game of the 2018 season, Harper - who'd gotten standing ovations in each of his four at-bats during the Sept. When the Washington Nationals made their initial offer last fall to keep Bryce Harper, they did so in a unique way, according to a Washington Post report. Report: Nats' offer to Harper came in envelope You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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