The coming weeks will determine whose uniform Bryce Harper wears next, but the superstar outfielder very nearly switched uniforms at last season's Trade Deadline.
In a story published Saturday for the The Athletic, MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal revealed that the Astros had a deal in place for Harper leading up to the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline before Nationals ownership rejected the move, per Major League sources. Houston, without Harper, was ultimately unable to defend its 2017 World Series title as it fell to the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.
Rosenthal reports the proposed trade would have sent right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas, the Astros' No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, to Washington along with two other Minor League players for Harper. One of those two players could have been catcher Garrett Stubbs, Houston's No. 15 prospect, who was brought up in discussions between the two clubs.
That kind of haul would offer significantly more value to the Nationals than their current compensation if Harper rejects their qualifying offer and signs with another team: a pick after the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, per the current rules in MLB's Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Nats' potential compensation is lower than 28 of the other 29 Major League clubs (with the Red Sox being the other exception), because they exceeded the $197 million competitive balance threshold (CBT) in '18.

The Nationals informed teams that Harper was available in the days leading up to the Deadline as their NL East hopes began to wane, but general manager Mike Rizzo informed the Washington Post on the morning of the Deadline via text that "Bryce is not going anywhere." Harper then rejected the Nats' 10-year, $300 million contract offer at the close of the regular season, per the Post.
The Astros called up top prospect Kyle Tucker on July 7 to fill an outfield spot, but he didn't perform well and was sent back down at the end of the month. He hit just .156 in 50 plate appearances in July with no homers, leaving Houston to turn to Tony Kemp and Marwin Gonzalez to share left field in the final two months of the season. The Astros' offense compiled a .733 OPS after the All-Star break, which ranked 15th among all MLB clubs and ahead of only the Cubs among the 10 teams who made the postseason.
Bukauskas, 22, missed the first three months of 2018 due to a slipped disc, but he returned to compile a 2.14 ERA in 59 combined Minor League innings while ascending to Double-A Corpus Christi. Stubbs hit .310 and posted an .836 OPS across 84 games for Triple-A Fresno last season.