Rizzo not ruling out reunion with Harper

LAS VEGAS -- Despite the comments from Nationals owner Mark Lerner last week that he believed Bryce Harper has "moved on," general manager Mike Rizzo was still not ready to rule out a potential reunion with Harper.
"Nothing has changed with Harp since the end of the season, except I think we're a better team than we were at the end of the season," Rizzo said Monday. "We're not closing the door on anything."
Rizzo shared that sentiment several times during the first day of the Winter Meetings on Monday, unwilling to rule out the possibility of circling back to renegotiate with Harper and his agent, Scott Boras, at some point this offseason. The comments appeared to contrast Lerner's comments during a radio interview this past Friday to 106.7 The Fan, when he said the Nats have already made their best offer to Harper -- reportedly 10 years and $300 million -- which he rejected. Lerner said he believed Harper had moved on and set his sights elsewhere, but Rizzo was not interested in speculating further.
"I didn't make much of it," Rizzo said of Lerner's comments. "Mark was asked to speculate about Harp's future. The one thing I've learned from doing this a long time is I don't speculate about free agents, where they're going, how much they're getting. It's just too difficult, because there are so many factors involved."

While the Winter Meetings are in Harper's hometown of Las Vegas this week, several teams are reportedly working out time to meet with Boras about Harper. As of now, the Nationals are not one of them, according to Rizzo, who said he did not have any plans to meet with Harper or Boras this week. That does not mean the Nationals will not schedule a meeting at some point this week or won't later in the offseason, but for now, they are continuing to prepare for life without Harper.
The market for Harper remains a bit unclear. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters he has no interest in adding an outfielder and Harper does not fit in their plans. The Phillies are reportedly working out a time to meet with Boras this week, but their focus seems to be shifting to Manny Machado, according to a report by NBC Sports Philadelphia. If other teams are hesitant, it could perhaps give the Nats room to re-enter the fold for a potential reunion.
Washington has been among the most active teams in the Majors this offseason, adding a pair of relievers and pair of catchers before inking left-hander Patrick Corbin to a six-year, $140 million contract last week. It was following that press conference where Lerner made his comments about Harper, as speculation rose whether the Nats still had the financial flexibility to pursue their homegrown star after signing Corbin.
Lerner did not express confidence they would have that flexibility or that the initial offer would still be on the table.
"If he comes back, it's a strong possibility that we won't be able to make it work," Lerner said Friday. "But I really don't expect him to come back at this point. I think they've decided to move on. There's just too much money out there that he'd be leaving on the table. That's just not [Boras'] M.O., to leave money on the table."
However, it would also be out of character for talks to never re-engage between the Nationals and Harper. He enjoyed his time in Washington and expressed a desire to remain in D.C. if possible several times before the end of the regular season. And the Nationals still think highly of Harper, with Lerner referring to him as family during the radio interview and Rizzo calling him still a "huge part" of the Nationals' plans.
"We love him," Rizzo said, "and we're not closing the door on anybody."