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Bryce Harper

Nationals To Sign Bryce Harper

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For the second consecutive summer, the Nationals signed the first-overall pick to a record-setting deal. Last August, it was Stephen Strasburg, and tonight Bryce Harper made history. The 17-year-old gets a major league deal that guarantees him $9.9MM over five years - more guaranteed money than any position player in draft history. Of the $9.9MM, $6.25MM is a bonus.

The buzz surrounding Harper started last year, when he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 16-year-old. Harper, still just 17, got his GED early, enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada and won the 2010 Golden Spikes Award as the country’s top amateur player.

Mark Teixeira previously held the record for the biggest deal given to a position player ($9.5MM) and last year's top pick, Strasburg, holds the record for the biggest deal in draft history ($15.1MM). Scott Boras advises Teixeira, Strasburg and Harper.

The Nationals have confirmed the deal, after it broke on Twitter. Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio, Kendall Rogers of Yahoo Sports, Jon Heyman of SI.com, Yahoo's Tim Brown and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post were among the reporters who contributed to the story.

Click here for the complete list of 2010 first rounders to sign.

Odds & Ends: Harper, Dodgers, Romero, Hermida

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Sunday night linkage..

  • Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports implores the Nats to get a deal done with Bryce Harper.
  • Nats pitcher Stephen Strasburg had some interesting comments to make about the club's negotiations with Harper, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
  • Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (in these tweets) says that rival agents think that the Dodgers will offer first-round pick Zach Lee roughly $3MM and at least one of them thinks that will be enough to get a deal done.
  • Toronto manager Cito Gaston told David Ely of MLB.com that he didn't think Ricky Romero would feel any pressure after signing a lucrative contract extension.  The lefty didn't show any signs of jitters today as he allowed just one run in seven innings against the Angels.
  • Boston outfielder Jeremy Hermida is making the most of his time in the minors, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.  Hermida was just thirty days shy of accruing enough major league time to decline a demotion when he was sent down by the Red Sox.

Odds & Ends: Tigers, Harper, Rockies, Thomas

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Let's round up a few more leftover Saturday links….

  • Johnny Damon doesn't know whether he'll be back in Detroit next year, but he thinks the club might make a run at Carl Crawford, according to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
  • The Nationals are "working hard" to lock up Bryce Harper, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com talked about Harper with several executives and scouting directors, all of whom expect the Nats to get a deal done with their first overall pick.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post fielded followers' questions on Twitter this evening, providing his opinion on a few Rockies-related subjects. Renck expects the Rox to pursue a first baseman and corner outfielder this winter, focusing on players with power. Renck also feels that failing to sign first-rounder Kyle Parker wouldn't be a disaster, given the strength of next year's draft (all Twitter links).
  • Michael Thomas, the player to be named later in the Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade, will be converted to a pitcher by the Rangers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Thomas has spent his minor league career to date as a catcher, but his primary strength is his throwing arm rather than his bat.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Harper, Canseco, Figgins

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Saturday afternoon linkage..

  • Boston sent catcher Michael Thomas to Texas to complete the trade for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.
  • Dusty Baker has no interest in becoming a general manager, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • A former teammate of Bryce Harper's doesn't see the first overall pick going back to school, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • The Laredo Broncos, an independent minor league team, say they have signed Jose Canseco to a short-term contract, according to the Associated Press.  Canseco will serve as a bench coach and designated hitter during two Laredo homestands.
  • Chuck Finder of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Pirates GM Neal Huntington and scouting director Greg Smith are expected to sit down with agents Randy and Alan Hendricks in Houston this weekend to discuss a contract for second overall pick Jameson Taillon. MLB's slot recommendation for that pick is $3.25MM, though Taillon is expected to receive more than that.
  • We know the Braves have not asked the Mariners about the availability of Chone Figgins in the wake of Chipper Jones' injury, but ESPN's Buster Olney says a deal is unlikely anyway. It would be pretty tough for GM Jack Zduriencik to tell ownership they have to eat tens of millions of dollars to move a player they just signed this past offseason.
  • Ken Fidlin of The Toronto Sun says that Blue Jays' second round pick Griffin Murphy and his father were on the field at Angels Stadium talking with club officials, "a surefire sign that a deal is done." MLB's slot recommendation for the 61st overall pick is just short of $600K. 
  • The Yankees have come to terms on well-overslot bonuses with a pair of draft picks. Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that they signed ninth rounder Taylor Morton for $450K while Kendall Rogers of Yahoo! Sports reports an agreement with tenth rounder Ben Gamel (Mat's brother) for $500K. Both deals are more than three times over MLB's recommendation, and Gamel's is the largest given to a player selected in a double digit round so far.

Odds & Ends: Holt, Lee, Klein, Valentine, Villone

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Links for Thursday, exactly 23 years after the Braves and Tigers swapped Doyle Alexander and John Smoltz…

  • The Indians signed tenth round pick Tyler Holt according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Holt's $500K bonus is the largest we've seen for a player drafted in a double-digit round this year. 
  • Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News wonders how much the Texas heat will play into Cliff Lee's decision about whether or not to re-sign with the Rangers after the season.
  • MLB.com' Brittany Ghiroli tweets that Orioles' third rounder Dan Klein is expected to report to one of the team's minor league affiliates once he passes his physical, indicating that the two sides have a deal in place.
  • Someone familiar with Bobby Valentine’s thinking tells Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that Valentine considers the Mariners managerial opening one of "the most appealing jobs in baseball.”
  • The Nationals released Ron Villone, according to Syracuse Chiefs broadcasters Jason Benetti and Mike Couzens (on Twitter). The veteran left-hander, who last pitched in the majors in 2009, posted a 6.59 ERA in Triple A this year.
  • The sale of the Rangers is now final, as MLB.com’s Barry Bloom writes.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker previews some of the players who could soon make the jump from Japan to MLB. Wei-Yin Chen, a 25-year-old lefty represented by Alan Nero may be posted this offseason.
  • Veracruz, the Mexican team that holds the rights to pitching prospect Luis Heredia, will not entertain offers from MLB clubs until next Wednesday, August 18th, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Tim Chambers, Bryce Harper's college coach, told Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com that Harper, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, is “begging to play.” Chambers expects the Nationals to work out a deal by Monday night’s deadline.
  • Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are "fairly close" to an agreement with first rounder Kaleb Cowart, though he expects negotiations to last until Monday, the deadline for signing draft picks.
  • Jamey Newberg counts down the ten biggest August trades in recent Rangers history for MLB.com. Rick Helling and Ryan Dempster have prominent roles on the list, which is worth checking out.

Stark On Sherrill, Blue Jays, Harper, Thome

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There has been a “flurry” of waiver claims on prominent players, according to an MLB official who spoke with ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Nearly every desirable hitter and reliever has been claimed, according to Stark’s source. However, we can add at least one name to our list of players to clear waivers. Here it is, along with Stark’s other rumors:

  • George Sherrill, who has a 7.00 ERA and $1.3MM remaining on his contract, cleared waivers, according to Stark. The Dodgers can now trade him to any club, as our waiver trade primer explains.
  • David Aardsma, Kevin Gregg and Brandon League were all claimed on waivers and pulled back, according to Stark’s source. If the Mariners or Blue Jays re-expose their respective relievers to waivers, they would no longer have the right to pull the players back.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Stark that he’s looking for high-impact players, because the club is geared towards reaching 95 wins.
  • One MLB official believes Manny Ramirez will sign a one-year, incentive-based contract with an AL team this winter. That sounds about right.
  • There have been no signs that Scott Boras, who represents first overall pick Bryce Harper, has had any meaningful conversations with the Nationals about what it will take to reach a deal. The sides have until Monday at 11pm CST to reach a deal.
  • The Twins were willing to include Wilson Ramos (now in Washington’s system) in a trade for Cliff Lee, according to Stark’s sources.
  • Jim Thome already has 15 homers for the Twins, and he could be back in Minneapolis next year. "We'd certainly have interest in him coming back," Twins assistant GM Rob Antony told Stark.

Odds & Ends: Reds, Giants, Harper, Dodgers, Prior

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Links for Saturday, as J.P. Arencibia homers on the first pitch he sees in the majors….

  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that he has not seen a year in which the Reds have faced so many difficult roster decisions in the last decade.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter) expects the Giants to eventually sign their first-round pick, center fielder Gary Brown.
  • Barry Shlachter of the Dallas Morning News examines whether the group headed by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan overpaid for the Rangers.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America passes on news of a pair of draft picks signing for over-slot deals: The Blue Jays signed their second-round pick, while the Pirates locked up their fourth-rounder.
  • Tigers owner Mike Ilitch acknowledged to Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News that he'd signed off on some bad contracts in the past, but said that won't stop him from spending money in the future.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that negotiations between the Nationals and Bryce Harper could "heat up" by Tuesday. The first overall pick in this year's draft enrolled for classes at the College of Southern Nevada, but that doesn't mean he won't end up signing with the Nats.
  • The Dodgers still seem to be buyers, leading Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times to wonder if they put a waiver claim on Adam Dunn.
  • Although he's pitching for the Orange County Flyers now, Mark Prior hopes to make his way back to the bigs, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.

Odds & Ends: Yelich, Harper, Tigers, Minaya, Guillen

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Links on a Friday night…

  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that negotiations between the Marlins and first round pick Christian Yelich are progressing slowly, but all signs point to a deal being reached before the August 16th deadline.
  • Meanwhile, Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post says there is nothing new to report about talks between the Nationals and first overall pick Bryce Harper. 
  • Like the Marlins and Yelich, talks between the Tigers and their top picks will go down to the wire according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Four of Detroit's top five selections remain unsigned, including their two first rounders Nick Castellanos and Chance Ruffin.
  • When asked about his job security, Omar Minaya responded "The fact of the matter is that I have a contract beyond this year, two years beyond this," according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Owner Jeff Wilpon recently implied that Minaya's job is safe through 2011.
  • Jack Curry of the YES Network says (via Twitter) we shouldn't expect the Yankees to have any interest in Jose Guillen. We heard this morning that they were going to keep an eye on the recently DFA'd outfielder.
  • Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News spoke to an American League GM who said he can't see Derek Jeter signing anywhere but back with the Yankees after the season. I suspect that's the general belief pretty much everywhere.
  • The Tigers have expanded the roles of three front office members, reports Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Brewers, Harper, Ortiz

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Links for Tuesday, as the National League wins an All-Star Game for the first time since Fred McGriff was their cleanup hitter…

Odds & Ends: Prior, Capps, Lee, Harper, Hart

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Another round of links for Monday, as Big Papi keeps on hitting…

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