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Phillies' Bryce Harper Was 'Hurt' by Nationals' Contract Offer in Free Agency

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Bryce Harper's hopes of returning to the Washington Nationals last offseason quickly dissolved when he received the team's contract offer.

"I thought we had a really good meeting," Harper said of a discussion he had with Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner, per Barstool Sports' Starting 9 podcast (via Scott Gleeson of USA Today). "I walked out of there and said, 'Scott [Boras], get it done.' I got back an offer and it hurt. It just hurt. So we kind of just turned the page on to the new year.