Though they did entertain some offers, according to Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo, in the end the Nationals declined to trade Bryce Harper at either the non-waiver or waiver deadlines this past summer, in spite of the fact that the then-25, now-26-year-old outfielder seemed destined to test the free agent market even then, leaving the Nats’ organization with only a compensatory pick (after the 4th Round) should the 2010 No. 1 overall selection decline the 1-year/$19.7M qualifying offer the team extended this week and sign elsewhere this winter.
“We had several discussions with teams about a whole litany of our players,” Rizzo explained after the non-waiver deadline passed.