MLB News: The Washington Nationals Are Not Denying That Bryce Harper Could Be Traded

With the 2018 All-Star Game in the rearview mirror, all eyes are on the second half of the season and the Washington Nationals aren’t exactly in the best position. They are currently sitting at 50-51 and in third place in the NL East, but luckily, they are only seven games out of first place in their division. With the Major League Baseball trade deadline quickly approaching, it appears that not even Bryce Harper is completely safe in his position and team.

On July 31, the non-waiver trade deadline will hit for MLB and there is a lot of buzz going on right now. As numerous teams have rumors swirling and speculation running wild, it’s hard to deny that Bryce Harper is the target of many trade talks right now and he isn’t exactly untouchable.

Harper has an expiring contract and it’s not out of the question for the Nationals to want to make a great deal with him during free agency. As reported by the NY Post, though, it could mean trading him away to a contender for this season and trying to sign him back after 2018 is over.

Nationals’ general manager Mike Rizzo was actually presented with the idea of Bryce Harper being traded away, and well, he didn’t actually say it wasn’t possible.

https://t.co/U5gtsmIjj3 Bryce Harper homered today to help #Nationals win, but they are still the majors' most disappointing team, so disappointing that we are at least asking if they would trade Harper. I asked their GM, Mike Rizzo.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 25, 2018

Essentially, Rizzo was asked if the Nats were the kind of team that would trade away their best players and one of the best in the entire league.

“My first response is [Harper] is part of the furniture, a superstar who we drafted, signed, developed and had blossom into a star with our uniform on. Something extreme would have to happen for us to consider moving him.”

It’s hard to know what exactly he may mean by “extreme,” but some teams could be willing to find out what exactly that is. A number of teams are right on the verge of being contenders this year and could need one more piece to complete their puzzle and really have a chance at a championship.

The official website of Major League Baseball looks at a number of five possible trade deadline bombshells and Bruce Harper tops the list. While it may not seem overly likely to happen, the possibility is there that he could end up with a team such as the Cardinals, Giants, Rockies, or Indians.

Again, that is pure speculation, but Rizzo has confirmed that it’s not out of the question.

In the world of Major League Baseball, it is actually hard to say that anyone is untouchable as everyone is a possible trade option. The Washington Nationals have a lot of work to do if they’re going to catch and overtake the Phillies, but would they trade away Bryce Harper to accomplish it? Only an “extreme” situation would cause the Nats to actually trade him away, but there are still a few days until the deadline and it could still happen.