According to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo reached out to her with the following statement: “Bryce is not going anywhere. I believe in this team.”
This comes after reports last night of Harper being available late last night and the Indians being possible partners.
The Nationals, 52-53, have fallen on a disappointing season as they sit third in the N.L. East and are 5.5 games back of the Phillies and the second Wild Card.
Washington missed All-Star second baseman Daniel Murphy for most of the first half, and he is currently sitting well below his career average in all offensive categories. Washington has seen regression from a handful of players, causing them to be on the back-end of the playoff push and consider selling.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today also reported that Rizzo believes in this team, and they won’t sell off any of their relievers like Sean Doolittle or Kelvin Herrera. There is also rumored interest in starters like Gio Gonzalez and Jeremy Hellickson. Rizzo has not commented on the status of them.
