WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals avoided arbitration by reaching deals with Bryce Harper, Derek Norris, Anthony Rendon and Tanner Roark before Friday’s salary exchange deadline, according to multiple reports.
The team now has contracts with all its arbitration eligible players.
Harper reportedly came to terms on a $13.625 million deal, an enormous raise from the $5 million he made in 2016 in the second year of a two-year deal. While Harper battled injuries in 2016, he still made the All-Star Team and is just a year removed from his 42-home run, MVP season. The 24-year-old outfielder is under team control through the 2018 season.
The Nationals originally drafted Norris in the fourth round in 2007 before trading him to Oakland in the Gio Gonzalez deal. The catcher was reacquired this offseason from San Diego and will reportedly earn $4.25 million in his second year of arbitration eligibility, up from $2.925 million in 2016.
Rendon agreed on a $5.8 million deal, more than double his $2.8 million salary from 2016. The infielder is coming off his second 20-homer season and is under team control through the 2019 campaign.
Roark will earn a reported $4.315 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility after posting a career-high 16 wins and finishing 10th in NL Cy Young voting. That marks a substantial raise for the 30-year-old, who made just over $543,000 in his final pre-arbitration year.
