Nats GM says Corbin signing ‘independent’ of Harper pursuit

WASHINGTON >> 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 announced its six-year contract with Corbin, a deal worth $140 million, and the All-Star lefty starter donned a No. 46 Nationals jersey as rotationmates Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg looked on Friday. After the news conference, general manager Mike Rizzo was asked: How might the big bucks he used to outbid the Yankees and Phillies for Corbin affect the pursuit of Washington’s own bigdeal free agent, right fielder Harper?

“I think they’re independent of each other. I really do,” Rizzo said.

But in an interview Friday with radio station 106.7 The Fan, Nationals owner Mark Lerner painted a different picture.

“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 money out there that he’d be leaving on the table.”