JUPITER, Fla. -- The first day of the post-Bryce Harper era began on Friday for the Nationals. Well, in reality that day had long passed for most people around the team, but until Harper agreed to a record-breaking 13-year contract with the division-rival Phillies on Thursday, the process of officially turning the page could never really begin.

The first 2 1/2 weeks in West Palm Beach, Fla., had already offered a brief glimpse into the Nationals' future without Harper. They are now the team of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, of Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner. A team with two extremely talented young outfielders, Juan Soto and Victor Robles, whom set Washington up as well as possible to lose such a large piece of their outfield. These Nationals made seven additions to the roster this offseason, including two players -- Yan Gomes and Brian Dozier -- who connected with their first homer of the spring Friday in Jupiter, and the market's top starter in Patrick Corbin.

So, Friday did not feel much different.

Corbin's signing in December and the team's actions this offseason always made this day feel inevitable. Harper dominated headlines and commanded so much attention in D.C. for the past seven seasons. Now, the Nationals can truly move on.

"It's definitely going to be weird," Turner said as he considered the prospects of Harper in a Phillies uniform. "He's been here for a long time. Making a change over there is going to be a little different especially in the division, but it's going to be interesting when we see him."

There is no ill will carried in the Nationals' clubhouse for Harper's decision to sign with the Phillies. As stars of his level tend to be, Harper commanded so much attention every day that his departure almost certainly creates a different clubhouse culture. Could that different culture end up as a positive? Perhaps. Time will tell whether that change will be worth the tradeoff of not writing his name in the middle of the lineup.

But Harper's old teammates are happy for him, but also intrigued and excited about the possibility of matching up with him so often during the next few seasons.

"I got to see what he does out there firsthand for six, seven years," Strasburg said. "I'd like to think we've got a good scouting report."

The front office had also been prepared for this possibility for most of the winter, ready to live with the idea that the most popular player in Nationals history could finish his career in Philadelphia. Harper will play out the rest of his prime with the Phillies and might finish his career more known for accomplishments in the city of Brotherly Love than in D.C. However, general manager Mike Rizzo and his staff have been optimistic about the team they assembled and have felt that way since the start of Spring Training.

With Harper officially departed, the pressure increases on the front office to extend Rendon -- talks that are ongoing and the team hopes intensify this spring.

And the Nationals already understood the National League East was going to be improved in 2019. Now they must prepare for perhaps the toughest division in baseball, with four teams who made significant additions and have aspirations on the division title. The Braves signed Josh Donaldson; the Mets added Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz; and Harper was the icing on the cake in the Phillies' aggressive offseason makeover. The Nationals added Corbin and addressed every hole on their roster in some way. One of those teams is still going to finish in fourth or fifth place.

"If you want to be the best, beat the best," outfielder Adam Eaton said. "I think that you look in years past we've kind of rolled through the division ... it gets to the playoffs and it kind of becomes a little stickier. I think being challenged every single week in a very difficult division will only play dividends in the end."