Report: Ex-Astros Reliever Will Harris, Nationals Agree to 3-Year, $24M Contract

The Washington Nationals must have liked what they saw out of ex-Houston Astros reliever Will Harris in the World Series a few months ago.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Harris signed with the Nationals on a three-year, $24 million contract Thursday.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the agreement and added it is pending a physical.

Harris had been in Houston since 2015 and put together an All-Star campaign in 2016. Last season, the 35-year-old right-hander went 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across 68 regular-season games.

Overall as an Astro, Harris tallied a 2.36 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 63 games finished and 315 strikeouts across 309 games (297 innings pitched).

The defending champion Nats weren't alone in pursuing Harris in free agency, according to The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli: "The competition for Harris’ services this winter was steep as multiple teams were interested in the righty for an annual salary around $7 million and the presence of a third year, coupled with the overall contract total, helped elevate the Nationals."

Washington had no choice but to address the bullpen. The Nationals ranked last in bullpen ERA (5.66) last season.