Nats, Harper's agent have had informal talks

Bryce Harper discusses his arrival at Nationals Spring Training and his expectations for the 2016 seasonVIERA, Fla. -- The Nationals have had informal discussions of a possible contract extension with Bryce Harper's agent, Scott Boras, general manager Mike Rizzo confirmed to MLB.com on Wednesday.

"He's a great player," Rizzo said. "A core player of the Nationals, and we'd love to have him here for a long, long time."

The current revenue boost across baseball, combined with Harper's unique combination of youth and skill, has given fuel to the rapid speculation about the potential contract Harper could earn on the open market in 2018. But there also remains the possibility that Harper could…