The Washington Nationals and Bryce Harper have been at odds over his contract since he came into the league, and now the sides may be forced to settle their differences at a grievance hearing. The sides are at odds over whether Harper is allowed to opt out of his deal and negotiate a new salary under baseball's arbitration system.
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According to media reports, the Nationals have Bryce Harper under team control for another four seasons, but his salary could get a substantial boost if he is allowed to go to arbitration. In the past, players who have played at a high level have received millions of dollars more per season after going through arbitration. That price difference has both sides prepared to go through the grievance hearing rather than working out a deal.
On the surface, it seems foolhardy for the Nationals to risk creating a rift between the franchise and a potential superstar. Although millions of dollars are at stake, it probably will not be that significant if Harper continues to develop and becomes the player that everyone expects him to be when he hit his prime.
However, the Nationals may be looking at the bigger picture here. The arbitration battle may be in the Nationals' best interest if they do not believe that Harper will stay with the team beyond his current contract.
Perhaps they feel that Harper would leave as a free agent to enjoy the prime of his career for a big-market franchise such as the Yankees, Dodgers, or Red Sox, all of whom have proven willing to pay top dollar for big names and elite talents alike.
The Nationals may also have decided that they simply do not think Harper is the surefire superstar that they once did. He has suffered numerous injuries already in his brief career, and his all-out playing style seems to put him at risk for further injury problems.
If that were the case, they would almost surely try to move Harper in a trade. It would be in their best interest to keep Harper's salary as low as possible to make him more attractive to potential suitors.
So while it certainly seems odd to publicly battle against one of the franchise cornerstones, the Nationals may be seeing it as setting the stage for Harper's eventual departure. The appearance of a rift would certainly make the loss of a young star more bearable for fans of the franchise.
Below, you can see Keith Olbermann's thoughts on Harper from a segment on his show near the end of the season.
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