WASHINGTON (AP) — It looks like negotiations with No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Harper will go to the deadline, the way they did last year with top choice Stephen Strasburg.
The Nationals have until midnight as Monday turns to Tuesday to reach an agreement with Harper, a 17-year-old junior college catcher they want to convert to an outfielder.
Team president Stan Kasten said Friday that “the whole process is silly. It needs to be changed.”
In 2009, when the Nationals also had the No. 1 pick, they agreed to a record $15.1 million contract with Strasburg only minutes before the midnight deadline.
Harper and Strasburg both are represented by Scott Boras.