Washington Nationals Sign Bryce Harper

By Cheri Cheng - 15 Dec '14 11:39AM

The Washington Nationals have signed outfielder Bryce Harper to a two-year deal worth $7.5 million, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal with FOXSports.com reported.

In signing the contract, both parties have avoided a grievance hearing to discuss whether or not Harper could opt out of his contract before the start of the 2015 season and qualify for salary arbitration.

When Harper was drafted, he and the team first agreed on an oral, five-year contract worth $9.9 million with a signing bonus of $6.25 million. At the time, the Nationals did not want to include a clause that would allow Harper to opt out of his contract. When the Nationals presented a written contract without the clause, Harper did not sign. Both parties then agreed on a compromise stating that if Harper were to be eligible for salary arbitration before his contract ended, there would be a grievance hearing to decide whether or not he could opt out.

According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington post, "Harper and his agent, Scott Boras, believed Harper had the right to opt out of his prescribed 2015 salary ($1.5 million) and into baseball's lucrative arbitration system. The Nationals contended his contract did not include the ability to opt out because it had never been included in the deal."

To avoid the hearing, which was scheduled for Tuesday, the Nationals decided to sign Harper. General Manager, Mike Rizzo, stated, "We'd like to stay out of the hearing if possible. It's a business decision, and we feel we have basis for it."

Prior to the signing, Harper did not attend NatsFest, which is an event hosted at the Walter R. Wasington Convention Center for fans. Harper stated that he could not attend the event "due to matters out of [his] control." Rizzo told reporters that he was disappointed that Harper did not show up.

Harper, 22, was the number one overall draft pick for the Nationals in 2010. He hit .273/.344/.423 in 100 games last season, his third in the majors. He had 13 homeruns and 32 RBI.

Harper is a two-time All-Start and was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 2012 when he batted .272/.351/.465 with 55 homeruns and 149 RBI.