Report: Nationals, Indians had recent discussions about Harper
The Washington Nationals have one more day to decide which direction the organization is going to take, choosing whether to buy and try to keep pace in the NL East standings, or sell and blow up what's been one of the most successful regular-season teams over the past few years.
Some contenders around the league are obviously hoping for the latter, as the Cleveland Indians have communicated with Washington about potentially trading for Bryce Harper, sources told MLB.com's Jon Morosi.
The conversations have yet to gain serious momentum as the price tag for the 25-year-old remains high, according to Morosi.
After entering the season as the favorites to run away with the NL East, the Nationals have struggled and sit one game below .500 entering Monday, in what could to be Harper's final season with the franchise.
The clubhouse is reportedly "a mess" and numerous issues, including a heated exchange between Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg and the emergence of insensitive tweets from shortstop Trea Turner, have engulfed the team recently.
If the Nationals decide to sell before Tuesday's deadline, Harper could bring back a tremendous haul.
The six-time All-Star is hitting .220/.369/.473 with 25 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a league-leading 84 walks in 103 games.