As National League East rivals, the Phillies play the Nationals 19 times this season, with Harper’s first appearance at Nationals Park coming April 2. The Nationals offered Harper a 10-year, $300 million contract near the end of the 2018 season — a deal that, notably, would have given Harper a higher average annual value than the one he ultimately got from the Phillies. Harper’s Phillies contract, by comparison, contains no deferrals. But the San Diego Padres nabbed Machado last week with a 10-year, $300 million deal that Phillies General Manager Matt Klentak said “exceeded our valuation” of Machado. Read more:Tracing Harper’s evolution from prodigy to superstar‘Good riddance’: Some Phillies fans had promised to boo Bryce Harper if he signed elsewhere

Source: Washington Post February 28, 2019 20:03 UTC