The Washington Nationals are still contenders to sign Bryce Harper, though they will have plenty of competition for the biggest star on the market. It’s something the team was hoping to avoid when they made the outfielder a lucrative contract offer when the 2018 MLB regular season was coming to an end.

Harper rejected the offer, which USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has reported was worth about $30 million per year. Now, the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals all have a chance to land the All-Star.

"We've had conversations and we utilized our exclusivity to negotiate with him late in the season through when he became eligible to sign with a team,'' Nationals' general manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday, via ESPN.com. "We didn't get anything done, but he's a guy that is near and dear to us and we are not closing any doors.''

There’s been speculation that Harper could land a contract of at least 10 years in free agency. Harper hit 22 home runs as a rookie in the 2012 season when he was only 19 years old, and he’ll be 26 years old for the entirety of the 2019 regular season.

In the 2014 offseason, Giancarlo Stanton signed a record-setting, 13-year contract worth $325 million. The New York Yankees gave Alex Rodriguez a 10-year deal worth $275 million in 2007.

Philadelphia might be in a better position than any other team to make history with a contract offer to Harper. The Phillies have so much money to spend that the organization hasn’t even completely ruled out a scenario in which both Harper and Manny Machado are on the team next year, according to Fancred’s Jon Heyman.

The Giants and Cardinals appear to be real players for Harper. Both teams tried to trade for Stanton a year ago, but the 2017 NL MVP used his no-trade clause to block deals to both San Francisco and St. Louis.

The Chicago White Sox are considering making a run at either Harper or Machado. The Yankees are considered a long shot to sign Harper, but they are among the favorites to land Machado.

Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals tosses his helmet after striking out to end the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in game two of the doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park on September 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

After finishing last season strong with a .300 batting average following the All-Star break, Harper hit .249/.393/.496 in 2018 with 34 home runs and 100 RBI. He’s hit below .250 with a sub-.900 OPS in two of the last three years.

Harper's best season came in 2015 when he won the NL MVP award by hitting .330/.460/.649 with 42 home runs and a 9.9 WAR in 153 games.

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