Outfielder Bryce Harper has agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Nationals, avoiding a scheduled grievance hearing this week with the team. The Nats released a statement confirming a deal had been reached. "We are pleased to have reached an agreement today with Bryce Harper," the statement read. "This is a fair agreement that benefits both sides. We look forward to seeing Bryce on the field this spring and working towards a 2015 World Series Championship."
The Major League Baseball Players Association had filed a grievance on Harper's behalf over whether he should be able to void the 2015 terms in the final season of a $9.9 million, five-year contract he signed when drafted. An arbitrator hearing would have taken place Tuesday if Harper and the Nationals hadn't settled. The agreement comes two days after harper didn’t show up for a scheduled appearance at the NatsFest fan festival, which prompted general manager Mike Rizzo to say he was "disappointed" by the outfielder's absence. Harper, who turned 22 in October, is already a two-time NL All-Star and one of the Nationals' most popular and marketable players.
He's coming off an injury-interrupted season in which he batted .273 with 13 homers and 32 RBIs but thrived in Washington's NL Division Series loss to the Giants. Harper hit .368 with three homers and four RBIs in that four-game series. He lost time in the first few months of the season after having surgery on a torn thumb ligament suffered when he slid into third base during a game on April 25. Harper wasn't back in the lineup until June 30. Harper hit career highs during his first season in the majors, belting 22 homers and 59 RBIs in a 2012 campaign that saw him win the National League Rookie of the Year.
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