The Bryce Harper Compendium (2015)

[Optics]

Disappointed in Bryce. He should be smashing that blonde he did the cap commercials with.

[WashingtonWizards23]

She is ugly 

[varoadking]

"There’s a lot of talent in this picture……and Bryce Harper’s brother."    

http://www.letsgohawks.net/2015/11/28/photo-blackhawks-get-a-mvp-visit/

[imref]

Booo. Stache pitched pretty well last year. 

[whytev]

Booo. Stache pitched pretty well last year.

I thought he would make the 40 for sure!

[More of #34]

I can't believe people want to trade a player who just put up the best season in baseball in over 10 years for  some B+ players because "superstars don't win championships."

Couldn't agree more!

[Mr Clean]

Wait, what?   https://www.instagram.com/p/_AZccnAIRb/

[mitlen]

Wait, what?   https://www.instagram.com/p/_AZccnAIRb/

Better to jump over the wall than run into it.

[Mr Clean]

Better to jump over the wall than run into it.

Bryce is the hardest working man in show business.

[mitlen]

Bryce is the hardest working man in show business.

...  only because James Brown passed away.   

[Mathguy]

Harper stories ramping up

http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2015/12/rizzo-negotiating-a-new-deal-with-harper-likely-a-unique-and-special-situation.html

[Slateman]

Harper stories ramping up

http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2015/12/rizzo-negotiating-a-new-deal-with-harper-likely-a-unique-and-special-situation.html

This will be like when the Nationals extended Zimmerman. Couldn't get any new players, so they signed him to an extension and made it out like it was a successful offseason.

[Mathguy]

No, it won't be like Zimmerman, for it's on a completely different scale

This will be like when the Nationals extended Zimmerman. Couldn't get any new players, so they signed him to an extension and made it out like it was a successful offseason.

[Vega]

This will be like when the Nationals extended Zimmerman. Couldn't get any new players, so they signed him to an extension and made it out like it was a successful offseason.

Uh, nope. Extending a Boras client and one of the top two position players in all of baseball would be a massive accomplishment.

[Slateman]

Uh, nope. Extending a Boras client and one of the top two position players in all of baseball would be a massive accomplishment.

Not really. Harper doesn't make this team a playoff team. And the amount of money he's going to command is going to make it impossible for the Nationals to field a playoff caliber team.

[Vega]

Not really. Harper doesn't make this team a playoff team. And the amount of money he's going to command is going to make it impossible for the Nationals to field a playoff caliber team.

Oh for the love of freak. This crap again? Keeping one of the top young stars in baseball, who is only twenty-three years old, is a great decision and it won't hamstring the team. This isn't like extending Zimm into his decline years, even if one ignores his injuries, or signing Scherzer for an eternity. Harper on, say, a ten year extension will only be just beginning to slow down when he hits free agency. (Although that assumes no opt out, which isn't likely.) And even a annual salary of $40 million, which is a high guess a to what he could get, wouldn't completely cripple the team, even with Scherzer around. It is the best possible decision, and this is coming from someone who thinks this team's window of opportunity has closed.

[HalfSmokes]

This will be like when the Nationals extended Zimmerman. Couldn't get any new players, so they signed him to an extension and made it out like it was a successful offseason.

[MarquisDeSade]

Not really. Harper doesn't make this team a playoff team. And the amount of money he's going to command is going to make it impossible for the Nationals to field a playoff caliber team.

Anyone that ignores this should have been a hummer after a Def Leppard concert instead of an oxygen hog. 

[Slateman]

Oh for the love of freak. This crap again? Keeping one of the top young stars in baseball, who is only twenty-three years old, is a great decision and it won't hamstring the team. This isn't like extending Zimm into his decline years, even if one ignores his injuries, or signing Scherzer for an eternity. Harper on, say, a ten year extension will only be just beginning to slow down when he hits free agency. (Although that assumes no opt out, which isn't likely.) And even a annual salary of $40 million, which is a high guess a to what he could get, wouldn't completely cripple the team, even with Scherzer around. It is the best possible decision, and this is coming from someone who thinks this team's window of opportunity has closed.

It won't? We're complaining about being hamstrung by Werth and Zimmerman's contracts. And Max's. Two of those are going to be here for a long time. That's basically 80 million a year wrapped up in three players, one of which will only play every fifth day.

And yes, 40 million a year to Harper will cripple the Nats payroll. Rizzo already can't make moves he wants to because of payroll. The Learners will not allow another 150+ million payroll again.

[Vega]

It won't? We're complaining about being hamstrung by Werth and Zimmerman's contracts. And Max's. Two of those are going to be here for a long time. That's basically 80 million a year wrapped up in three players, one of which will only play every fifth day.

And yes, 40 million a year to Harper will cripple the Nats payroll. Rizzo already can't make moves he wants to because of payroll. The Learners will not allow another 150+ million payroll again.

If $150 million is not an option, the team is being massively misconstructed. In a world where the Pirates, A's and Orioles are making the playoffs regularly and where the Royals just won the World Series, it is possible to construct a team on a smaller budget that can win, and you sure as hell don't do it by signing guys to gigantic free agent contracts. You supplement with complimentary pieces in free agency and if you're gonna spend a lot, you make damn sure to do it on the right guys. In an ideal world, Harper would be one of those right guys and there wouldn't be giant contracts on the books for wastes of space like Papelbon and Werth.

[Ray D]

That's basically 80 million a year wrapped up in three players, one of which will only play every fifth day.

Possibly all three.

[varoadking]

It won't? We're complaining about being hamstrung by Werth and Zimmerman's contracts. And Max's. Two of those are going to be here for a long time. That's basically 80 million a year wrapped up in three players...

Fuzzy math?  I get around $65MM if you disregard Max's deferred amount...$50MM if you factor that in.

We need Mathguy in here...

[varoadking]

Possibly all three.

Well played... 

[Slateman]

If $150 million is not an option, the team is being massively misconstructed.

Now you're starting to get it.
 

In a world where the Pirates, A's and Orioles are making the playoffs regularly and where the Royals just won the World Series, it is possible to construct a team on a smaller budget that can win, and you sure as hell don't do it by signing guys to gigantic free agent contracts. You supplement with complimentary pieces in free agency and if you're gonna spend a lot, you make damn sure to do it on the right guys. In an ideal world, Harper would be one of those right guys and there wouldn't be giant contracts on the books for wastes of space like Papelbon and Werth.

And they all have very good GMs who make good moves at the deadline and are willing to trade away stars. Frankly, all Rizzo has done well here is draft well, and pull off the Fister trade. The Souza for Turner/Ross deal looks promising, but at the end of the day, his inability to fix the pen is looming large. Combine that with the monster deals for Werth, Max, and Zimmerman, and Rizzo is becoming more of a problem than a solution.

[Slateman]

Fuzzy math?  I get around $65MM if you disregard Max's deferred amount...$50MM if you factor that in.

We need Mathguy in here...

Harper = 40 million
Zimmerman = 20 million
Max = 20 million

Max's deferred amount counts towards his AAV. So come 2019, he counts 42 million against the luxury tax.

This also doesn't account for Rendon, who will be getting expensive.

If you cap this team at 100 million, where does the rest of the team come from? Harper on that contract basically eliminates any chance of signing a quality free agent to help bolster the roster. You basically have to play money ball with everyone else on the team and continually look to make deals. You're basically the Royals with Bryce Harper. So yea, you will have a couple years of contention, and then another decade of struggle.