Washington Nationals: Will Bryce Harper Spend His Whole Career in D.C.?

The Nationals drafted Bryce Harper No. 1 overall in 2010 and signed him to a five-year, $9.9 million major league contract just seconds before the deadline was set to pass.

The deal will run through the 2015 season, at which point he will be eligible for three arbitration seasons. Assuming he capitalizes on his potential, he'll be in line to make a large sum of money in each go-around of the arbitration process.

Harper will then hit the open market in 2018, when anybody who's willing to pony up the cash can make a run at the young outfielder.

Scott Boras, Harper's agent, likely won't want him to sign a contract extension with the team, as he'd stand to take a pay cut if he signs the extension prior to his final arbitration season.

The Nationals certainly have the money to sign Harper to a long-term contract, but will he want to stay in D.C.?

Although not a small market team, the Nationals are most definitely not on the level of the Mets, Yankees, Phillies or Red Sox—there are a few others as well.

Harper may not want to play his career in a market where he can't maximize on his image, so he could be interested in moving on and playing with a team that can provide him with that opportunity.

By the 2018 season, it's likely that Harper will have capitalized on his potential. If that's the case, he will command a large contract.

He'll be just 26 years old at the end of 2018, so he could be in line for a Joey Votto type of contract—10-years, $200-plus million. 

Harper had dreams as a child of playing for the Yankees, and he's even gone so far as to say that he wants to play there and wear a Yankees' cap when (if) he makes it to the Hall of Fame.

You can take that for what it's worth, but, if I'm the Nationals, I'd be worried about the thought of losing him.

We all know the Yankees have the money, and by 2018 they'll certainly have the need for an outfielder.

It should be an interesting offseason in 2018 when Harper hits the open market. There will be plenty of interest in him, and there's no guessing where he may end up.

For now he's a National, and he should just focus on playing his way onto the big league club.