Nats’ owner says Harper is as good as gone
As with most things involving the Washington Nationals’ offseason, a day that was supposed to be all about introducing Patrick Corbin morphed into a day about Bryce Harper.
Washington officially announced its six-year contract with Corbin, a heavily back-loaded deal worth $140 million, and the AllStar lefty starter donned a No. 46 Nationals 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 New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies for Corbin affect the pursuit of Washington’s own major free agent, Harper?
“I think they’re independent of each other. I really do. We’ve gone about this business of creating a roster for 2019, and at the end of the day, we’ll figure out whether that includes ‘Harp’ or not,” Rizzo said. “We thought it was good business — we had to fix the things we needed to fix. ‘Harp’ is a big part of our family, and we’d love to have him back.”
But in a radio interview Friday, Nationals owner Mark Lerner painted a different picture about where things stand with the right fielder, who turned down a lateseason offer from Washington.
“I really don’t expect him to come back at this point,” Lerner said. “I think they’ve decided to move on. There’s just too much Villanova, FS1
1:30 p.m.: Louisville at Indiana, Fox money out there that he’d be leaving on the table.”
Lerner also described the team’s earlier offer to the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year and 2015 NL MVP, reportedly for $300 million over 10 years, as “the best we can do.”
As for Corbin, he gets a $2.5 million signing bonus payable next Oct. 31 and salaries of $12.5 million next season, $19 million in 2020, $24 million in 2021, $23 million in 2022, $24 million in 2023 and $35 million in 2024 — when he turns 35. The final year’s salary includes $10 million that will be deferred without interest and payable on Jan. 15, 2026.
He would earn $500,000 for winning a Cy Young Award, $250,000 for finishing second in at Kansas, ESPN
9:30 p.m.: Notre Dame at UCLA, ESPN2 the voting, $150,000 for third, $100,000 for fourth and $75,000 for fifth, and the same awards for MVP balloting. He would earn $100,000 for each All-Star appearance, $100,000 apiece for any Gold Glove or Silver Slugger, $250,000 for World Series MVP and $150,000 for League Championship Series MVP. Goldschmidt focused on Cards: Now that he’s with the St. Louis Cardinals, Paul Goldschmidt said he’s not thinking beyond the 2019 season.
The six-time All-Star was acquired from Arizona this week and will earn $14.5 million in the final season of a seven-year deal that will pay $46 million, including a $1 million assignment bonus for the trade. If he doesn’t sign a new contract, ESPNU
7 p.m.: Oral Roberts at Missouri, SEC Network he would be among the top free agents next offseason.
“Try not to have any distractions, so anything like that won’t be on my mind,” Goldschmidt said at his introductory news conference. “I think the biggest thing is I’m excited to be here, excited to be part of this team and organization and just focused on getting ready for spring training and opening day and the season and trying to help us win.”
Alvarez to Phillies: Philadelphia has acquired lefthander Jose Alvarez from the Los Angeles Angels for righthander Luis Garcia in a deal announced late Thursday.
Alvarez was 6-4 with a 2.71 ERA and one save in 76 appearances in 2018, striking out 59 in 63 innings. He allowed only three home runs to the 261 batters he faced while holding lefthanded hitters to a .206 batting average and righties to a .232 mark.
The 29-year-old Alvarez is 12-18 with a 3.69 ERA over six seasons with the Tigers and Angels.
Garcia went 3-1 with a 6.07 ERA in 59 games last season after posting a career-best 2.65 ERA in 711⁄3 innings in 2017. He is 12-14 with a 4.12 ERA in 251 career appearances, all in relief.
Richards agrees with Padres: Former Angels pitcher Garrett Richards and the San Diego Padres finalized a two-year, $15.5 million contract.
The righthander will earn $7 million next year and $8.5 million in 2020. He can earn $2.5 million more annually in performance bonuses: $250,000 for each start from 21 through 30.