VIERA, Fla. — Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said he and Bryce Harper’s agent Scott Boras have had informal talks about a contract extension for the 23-year-old National League Most Valuable Player, but “have not been negotiating.”
“They’re conversations. They’re not even talks, really,” Rizzo said. “Just the beginning, like we’d do with just about anybody.”
After Harper’s monster season, in which he hit 42 home runs and compiled a 1.109 OPS, speculation percolated about the kind of deal he could get in free agency after the 2018 season. Part of that speculation naturally centered around whether or not the Nationals might try to extend his contract first.