Bryce Harper said Thursday that he's open to a contract extension with the Nationals, the team's website reports. "I'm definitely excited to be part of the Nationals organization," said Harper. "I think that being able to play in [Nationals Park], this ci

Harper said Thursday that he's open to a contract extension with the Nationals, the team's website reports. "I'm definitely excited to be part of the Nationals organization," said Harper. "I think that being able to play in [Nationals Park], this city, this town, around the fans, it's such a great place to play. Baseball is up and coming...I'm very excited to further my career with the Nationals. I have a couple of more years in D.C., and then hopefully at the end of that, we can do what we can and I can be a National for life, hopefully."

Analysis:

He's not eligible for free agency for another three years, but Harper is headed for some big arbitration awards before then if he isn't locked up. Mike Trout signed a six-year, $144.5 million extension in 2014 that bought out his arbitration years, and given his numbers last year and the fact that Scott Boras is his agent, you can expect Harper to look for something better than that if the Nats want to follow suit.