The Washington Nationals shopped former National League MVP Bryce Harper before the July 31- non-waiver trade deadline, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were reportedly among the teams that had interest in the All-Star outfielder.
The Nationals wound up hanging onto Harper though, and others, in hopes that they would make a run and compete for a postseason spot. Three weeks have since gone by, and the Nationals still have yet to make said progress, sitting 7.5 games out of first place in the NL East at 62-63.
Because of that, they placed several of their star players on revocable trade waivers. A deal to send Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs was announced, and the Nationals reportedly will also trade Matt Adams to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Harper was also placed on waivers, and it appears the Dodgers were the team that claimed him, via Grant Paulsen of NBC Washington:
I'm told the Dodgers are the "mystery team" that claimed Bryce Harper on revocable waivers.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 21, 2018
The two teams had until Tuesday to make a deal, but according to Jon Heyman of Fancred, they were unable to, so Harper will remain in Washington:
sources: waivers have expired on Bryce harper. he is staying with nats.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 21, 2018
It is clear that the Dodgers have interest in Harper playing in Los Angeles, and with him set to hit free agency this upcoming offseason, it will be interesting to see at what extent they pursue him.
Harper is in the midst of a monster second half, and overall on the season is hitting .246/.380/.511 with 30 home runs and 79 RBI. The 25-year-old is expected to command one of the most lucrative contracts in baseball history once he hits free agency.
