Chicago Tribune · Dec 8, 2018
Nationals owner doesn't expect Bryce Harper to return; GM still has hope
As with most things involving the Nationals' offseason, a day that was supposed to be all about introducing Patrick Corbin morphed into a day about Bryce Harper.
The Nationals announced their six-year contract with Corbin, a heavily back-loaded deal worth $140 million, and the All-Star lefty starter donned a No. 46 jersey as rotation-mates Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg looked on from the front row Friday. After the news conference, general manager Mike Rizzo was asked a key question:
How might the big bucks he used to outbid the Yankees and Phillies for Corbin affect the pursuit of the Nationals’ own big-deal free agent, right fielder Harper?