Washington Nationals

Apparently at least one member of the Washington Nationals feels losing Bryce Harper could be addition by subtraction.

Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post wrote a column saying losing Harper "would help any team improve its attention to fundamentals." A "prominent Nats vet" agreed with the sentiment, telling Boswell to "write it." 

Manager Dave Martinez has also said the team will have an increased emphasis on fundamentals this season. 

"We're going to be more proactive on fundamentals," Martinez said this week. "There will be days when they don't bring their bats to the field. It will all be team defense, base running and fundamentals. They can still hit in the cage."

Harper remains a free agent despite being one of the best players to hit the open market in recent memory. He is a six-time All-Star and won the 2015 NL MVP award, and he does not even turn 27 until October. The continued free agency of Harper and Manny Machado have led to some openly criticizing MLB ownership.

"Teams go to the media and say they don't want you. . . . [To kill interest] they discuss not wanting players," Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer said, per Boswell. "We know every intention of every single team."

"It should not be happening. No other sport has this in their free agency."

It's hard to argue that any team would be better without Harper. He has posted 3.0 or more WAR in six of his seven seasons, per FanGraphs, and that number has been above 4.0 four times. Even if you acknowledge he's not the player who won the 2015 MVP—that season looks like a clear outlier—he's an extremely valuable player with a ton of pop and one of the best eyes in baseball in the batter's box.

Whatever warranted criticisms of Harper's occasionally lax fundamentals exist, the Nationals are not going to be a better team without him. Hustle alone does not account for everything Harper brings to the table. 

Jack McKeon, the beloved cigar-smoking ex-manager who led the 2003 World Series champion Florida Marlins, was hired by the Washington Nationals at 88 years of age as a senior adviser to general manager Mike Rizzo.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the news, and Bob Nightengale of USA Today confirmed the hire.

McKeon was last in the bigs in 2011, when he led the Marlins to a 40-50 record after taking over at midseason following a five-year managerial break. He stepped down after the year ended.

McKeon is no stranger to the front office, as he was the San Diego Padres' general manager from 1980 to 1990. The Padres were up and down then, with the apex a 1984 World Series appearance and the nadir a last-place finish three years later. McKeon earned the nickname "Trader Jack" for staying active on the transaction front.

A two-time National League Manager of the Year (1999, 2003), McKeon managed five different franchises, including the Marlins. He earned a lifetime 1,051-990 record over 16 seasons.

As Nightengale noted, McKeon is not the only octogenarian on the Nationals staff. Phillip Rizzo, who is the father of GM Mike, is 89 years of age. A long-time scout, Rizzo joined the team in 2009.

The Nationals have been busy this offseason, with their biggest acquisition being southpaw starting pitcher Patrick Corbin. He, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg have the chance to form the best starting pitching trio in the game next year, though the Nats may encounter trouble offensively if free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper signs elsewhere.

Washington opens the 2019 season Thursday, March 28, at home versus the New York Mets.

The Washington Nationals and free-agent second baseman Brian Dozier reportedly came to terms on a one-year, $9 million contract Thursday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Drafted in the eighth round by the Minnesota Twins in 2009, Dozier has spent most of his professional career with the Twins. However, with his free agency looming, Minnesota traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2018 MLB non-waiver trade deadline.

Dozier hit .215 with 21 home runs, 30 doubles and 72 RBI between Minnesota and Los Angeles in 2018, including .182 with five home runs, nine doubles and 20 RBI in 47 games as a Dodger.

It was later reported in early November by Fancred's Jon Heyman that Dozier played the season with a "severe bone bruise," which could explain his drop in production.

Entering 2018, Dozier had received American League MVP votes in three consecutive seasons. During that span, the 5'11", 200-pound infielder averaged 35 dingers per 162 games. He made the All-Star team in 2015 and added a Gold Glove to his resume in 2017.

Unfortunately for the 31-year-old Dozier, his numbers dipped as he was playing for a new contract. His batting average was the lowest of his career, and he had not slugged fewer than 24 homers since 2014.

Washington is hoping this past season was a blip rather than a sign of things to come. Dozier's track record speaks for itself, as he had been one of the best offensive second basemen in baseball for years.

Now that he is under contract, Dozier can start preparing for 2019 as he looks for a bounce-back year.

With Dozier off the market, Passan noted that several other middle infielders are expected to sign soon, including free agents DJ LeMahieu and Jed Lowrie.

Passan also reported that the San Francisco Giants are discussing trades involving second baseman Joe Panik.

Per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Giants' decision to shop Panik is due to their interest in potentially signing LeMahieu.

Dozier has just a .143 career batting average at Nationals Park. Of course, given he has spent all but 47 games of his career in the American League, that's based on a small sample size—six games to be exact.

After trading Daniel Murphy last summer, Washington had two internal options it could turn to at second: Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo. The 35-year-old Kendrick missed the majority of the 2018 campaign after tearing his Achilles in May, while the 26-year-old Difo hit .230 with limited power (seven home runs) last year.

In other words, Dozier should provide a much-needed offensive boost at the position.

The Washington Nationals are reportedly making a strong push to bring back free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, which has led the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies to amplify their pursuit of free-agent shortstop Manny Machado.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported the updates Wednesday with a source saying the race to sign the offseason's top two targets is "heating up."

Harper has spent his entire professional career with the Nats, who selected him with the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft. He made his big league debut in 2012 and ranks 12th among position players in WAR across the past seven years, per FanGraphs.

In September, he told Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post he wanted to remain in Washington but was unsure whether the business side would work out.

"I've always said: If I'm in those plans, I'd absolutely love to be here," Harper said. "But if I'm not, there's nothing I can do about it. There's nothing I can do. I would love to play next to [Victor] Robles or [Juan] Soto or [Adam] Eaton. I'd love to. But am I in those plans? I have no idea."

Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported last week the Nationals had made the 2015 NL MVP an offer for 10 years in excess of $300 million.

Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports reported the Phillies were a threat to sign both Harper and Machado entering the offseason.

Although there's been little talk about that type of monumental splash recently, it appears Philly is still heavily involved in the Machado sweepstakes.

The 26-year-old infielder posted a .297/.367/.538 slash line and tied his career-high 37 home runs with the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He's a four-time All-Star selection.

Feinsand noted the Chicago White Sox and potentially the Dodgers are still keeping tabs on Harper, while the New York Yankees are Machado's "preference," though they've been unwilling to meet the contract demands to this point.

If Harper does return to Washington and Machado lands in Philadelphia, the NL East could be the league's best division next season with the Atlanta Braves still on the rise thanks to a young roster and the New York Mets looking to bounce back on the strength of their terrific rotation.

The Washington Nationals are reportedly now viewed as the favorite to sign superstar free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, who's spent the first seven years of his MLB career with the franchise.

On Friday, Michael J. Duarte of NBC Los Angeles reported the Nats offered Harper a 10-year contract worth "well over $300 million," confirming a prior report from The Athletic's Jim Bowden, to put themselves ahead of the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies in the race to sign the 2015 NL MVP.

The 26-year-old slugger posted a .249/.393/.496 triple-slash line with 34 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 159 appearances for the Nats in 2018. He earned his sixth All-Star Game selection in the process.

Washington's apparent ascent to the forefront of discussions to sign him comes as a little bit of a surprise.

In December, Nationals owner Mark Lerner appeared to wave the white flag in terms of getting Harper to return with several teams interested and a sky-high price tag.

"I really don't expect him to come back at this point," Lerner said, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.

It's unclear what changed in less than a month, but now it sounds like Washington is willing to make the lucrative investment to beat out the Phillies and any other contenders to get Harper back.

If the Nats do get a deal done with one of the winter's top prizes—shortstop Manny Machado being the other—it will provide a massive boost in what's likely going to become a heated three-way divisional battle with the Phils and Atlanta Braves for the foreseeable future.

Of course it's also possible rumors about potentially re-signing with Washington could be leaks from Harper's side to entice a monster counteroffer from the Phillies.

Either way, the MLB offseason may finally be heating up.

Even after signing pitcher Patrick Corbin to a six-year, $140 million contract earlier this offseason, it appears the Washington Nationals still have plenty of money to offer 2015 National League MVP Bryce Harper.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported Friday that Washington's latest offer was "much more than the $300 million being reported by the media."

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported in November that Harper rejected a 10-year, $300 million offer made in September, opting to test the open market instead. That was just the first offer on the table, per Bowden.

Harper let it be known in September, per the Washington Post's Barry Svrluga, that he would be interested in re-signing with the Nationals. However, it appeared early on this offseason that the 2010 No. 1 overall pick's time in the nation's capital may be over.

Nationals owner Mark Lerner told 106.7 The Fan in December:

"When we met with them and we gave them the offer, we told them, 'This is the best we can do.' We went right to the finish line very quickly. And we said, 'If this is of interest to you, please come back to us and we'll see whether we can finish it up.' But we just couldn't afford to put more than that in and still be able to put a team together that had a chance to win the NL East or go farther than that."

All hope has not been lost, though. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Wednesday that Harper has met with Nationals representatives multiple times this offseason and that a reunion isn't being ruled out.

It's not clear what other offers the six-time All-Star may have received.

Harper, 26, is coming off a season in which he slashed .249/.393/.496 with 34 home runs, 34 doubles and 100 RBI in 159 games. He hit just .214 during the first half of the season but finished his walk year strong with a .300 average following the All-Star break.

A Home Run Derby title in front of his home crowd highlighted his 2018 campaign:

The Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees, among others, are teams that have been linked to Harper this offseason.

It was only last month that the highest-ranking member of the Washington Nationals seemed to close the door on a reunion with superstar free agent Bryce Harper.

"I really don't expect him to come back at this point," principal owner Mark Lerner said Dec. 7 on 106.7 the Fan, per MLB.com's Jamal Collier. "I think they've decided to move on."

Not so fast, perhaps.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Harper has met "multiple times" with Nationals representatives throughout the winter. Per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, Harper and agent Scott Boras even met with Ted Lerner, Mark's father, three days before Christmas.

There's little indication that the Nationals—who drafted Harper No. 1 overall in 2010 and watched him blossom into an All-Star and MVP between 2012 and 2018—have any actual momentum toward a contract. Whatever they propose would almost certainly have to be better than the 10-year, $300 million offer they made the 26-year-old in September. Knowing that, they may only be talking with him as part of an effort to drive up his price for the competition.

Yet, maybe it's telling that it's hard to tell exactly where said competition is supposed to be.

The Chicago Cubs have long been considered an ideal spot for Harper, but they don't seem to be in any rush to add another megadeal to their bloated payroll. The Los Angeles Dodgers may be in the same boat, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported they want to remain under the luxury tax. 

The New York Yankees, meanwhile, have played the "too many outfielders" card. Passan reported that the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies are willing to offer Harper 10 years, but Bruce Levine of 670 The Score challenged that this is true of the White Sox. And according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, however, Harper doesn't particularly like Philadelphia.

It sure seems like there isn't a clear favorite to lure the 2015 National League MVP away from Washington, which may explain why the Nationals are keeping in touch: They smell an opportunity.

It's to the Nationals' credit that they haven't been sitting on their hands as the Harper saga plays out. They made a huge addition to their starting rotation when they inked ace left-hander Patrick Corbin to a six-year, $140 million contract. Anibal Sanchez was a smaller yet hardly insignificant upgrade.

Meanwhile on the offensive side of things, the Nats erased a huge question mark at catcher by bringing in 2018 All-Star Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki. Throw in Matt Adams as a platoon partner for Ryan Zimmerman at first base, and you get a darn good response to a disappointing 82-win campaign in 2018.

The only downside is that the Nationals have inflated their payroll in the process. Roster Resource projects their 2019 expenses at $191.7 million, and at $193.8 million for luxury tax purposes. The latter puts them $12.2 million below the $206 million threshold for 2019.

Barring a whole bunch of salary dumps, there's no way the Nationals can re-sign Bryce Harper and stay under that threshold. The deal he rejected in September would have counted $30 million per year against the tax. Realistically, it'll likely take something closer to a $350 million total guarantee with a $35 million average annual value to actually get him to sign on the ol' dotted line.

However, the luxury tax isn't necessarily the deal-breaker that it's made out to be.

As long as the Nationals don't exceed the threshold by more than $40 million, they'd only be signing up for financial penalties if they brought Harper back. At worst, they'd be looking at a $12 million-to-$15 million tax in 2019, after which they could soften future blows by parting ways with Zimmerman, Adam Eaton and Howie Kendrick.

That cost shouldn't be too great, provided the potential reward for signing Harper is far greater. And in this case, the potential reward is nothing less than National League superiority.

Though much is left to be done in the National League East, FanGraphs' early projections favor the Nationals to win the division. It's not much of a leap to suggest that re-signing Harper would make them the runaway favorite.

Though there's no denying the risk in giving him as much as $350 million, Harper is at least a good player and at best a superlative player. He peaked when he led Major League Baseball in on-base percentage (.460), slugging percentage (.649) and wins above replacement (10.0, per Baseball Reference) in 2015. He's had his struggles otherwise, but he's always maintained an above-average bat:

Alongside Eaton, Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto and Trea Turner, Harper would be yet another dynamic offensive force in Washington's lineup. As a bonus, 21-year-old phenom Victor Robles would be freed up to get his feet wet as a platoon partner with Harper, Soto and Eaton.

Outside of Washington, the biggest blow would be dealt to the Phillies. If the Nationals deny them Harper, they would have to sign Manny Machado to acquire the impact bat they desperately need. To that end, there'd be no guarantee of them outbidding the Yankees.

The blow dealt to the Dodgers wouldn't be much smaller. Since the Dodgers don't have a place for Machado, the Nationals would have robbed them of the best possible player they can add this winter. Moreover, the Nats would have also leapfrogged the Dodgers in FanGraphs' projections for 2019.

That would be as true in reality as on paper. The Nationals bringing Harper back would be the proverbial icing on the cake for an offseason that's already impressive. Outside of signing Joe Kelly, the Dodgers have done nothing to upgrade a squad that won only 92 regular-season games in 2018.

Ultimately, the question before the Nationals is whether they should go the extra mile for an unexpected reunion with Harper. Considering the circumstances, they absolutely should.

        

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox are reportedly both willing to offer free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper a 10-year contract.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Phillies and White Sox are the only organizations other than the Washington Nationals known to be willing to give Harper that much term.

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Harper turned down a 10-year, $300 million offer from the Nats late in the 2018 season, which suggests it may take an even bigger deal to land him in free agency.

Along with infielder Manny Machado, Harper is the prize of free agency. With both players seemingly having many of the same suitors, the signing process has been a lengthy one.

Passan noted that Harper may be willing to hold off signing until February in hopes of landing the term and money he desires.

The 26-year-old slugger is coming off an up-and-down season that saw the Nationals fail to reach the playoffs, but he still put up strong numbers with a .249/.393/.496 slash line, 34 home runs and a career-high 100 RBI.

Over seven MLB seasons, Harper is a six-time All-Star, and he was named National League MVP in 2015 when he hit .330 and clubbed 42 homers.

The Phillies and White Sox are both intriguing potential destinations in big markets.

Philadelphia was in the NL East race for much of 2018, and although it fell short of the playoffs at 80-82, it posted its best record since 2012 and appears to be a team on the rise.

The Phillies acquired shortstop Jean Segura from the Seattle Mariners and signed outfielder Andrew McCutchen this offseason, which suggests they are going for a playoff berth in 2019.

Signing Harper would give the Phils a massive offensive boost and hurt the division-rival Nationals in the process.

The 62-100 White Sox are seemingly much further from contention than the Phillies but have acquired a ton of young talent during their rebuild and could be poised to break out over the next couple of seasons.

Harper would give Chicago the bona fide superstar it currently lacks, and it would also be a big step toward getting the White Sox back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.