Bryce Harper, Nationals Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, 22, has agreed to terms on a two-year deal, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale followed with financial details, while CBS Sports' Jon Heyman noted the yearly distribution:

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The two sides came together after disputes over Harper's contract prior to Monday, per Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post:

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Harper and his agent, Scott Boras, believed Harper had the right to opt out of his prescribed 2015 salary ($1.5 million) and into baseball’s lucrative arbitration system. The Nationals contended his contract did not include the ability to opt out because it had never been included in the deal.

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The Nationals released a brief statement on the news via Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com:

Had the two sides not agreed to terms, Harper would have likely been slated for a grievance hearing Tuesday. Prior to the agreement, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo spoke about trying to avoid an arbitration hearing.

"It’s like when you go to arbitration, no one likes to go to arbitration with somebody and nobody wants to go to a grievance hearing with somebody," Rizzo said, per James Wagner of The Washington Post. "We’d like to stay out of the hearing if possible. It’s a business decision, and we feel we have basis for it."

Harper had already skipped out on NatsFest, a fan festival, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSN:

Harper, drafted No. 1 overall by the Nationals in 2010, can now focus solely on improving for next season.

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With salary grievance coming up Tuesday, Bryce Harper was a no-show at NatsFest, leaving Mike Rizzo "disappointed." http://t.co/tr0uX5BHgr

— Mark Zuckerman (@ZuckermanCSN) December 14, 2014"

Coming off a year where he was sidelined by injuries, he tallied a career-low 13 home runs and 32 RBI while playing in 100 games for the 96-66 Nationals.

Over three years in the big leagues, he has 55 home runs, 149 RBI, 155 walks, 318 strikeouts and a .272 batting average (.351 on-base percentage).

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