A few weeks ago it was speculated the Washington Nationals and young phenom Bryce Harper would enter a grievance hearing to dispute the terms of his first major league contract. While the two sides settled the issue with a new two-year deal, Cubs' starter Jon Lester received a hefty sum of his own.
When Harper signed with the Nationals back in 2010, there was a discrepancy regarding him having the ability to opt out of the five-year, $9.9 million contract if he was eligible for arbitration. Although his agent, Scott Boras, was under the impression that would be the case, the Washington Nationals provided no such language in the contract when the final written contract was presented.
As a result, Boras and the Harper family refused to sign the contract until the MLB and the players' association stepped in. The league and union decided a future grievance hearing would be held if Harper were to qualify for salary arbitration by the time he reached the final year of his deal. Well, Harper does qualify under the "Super Two" cutoff, which encompasses players who have less than three years of service time, but more than two, and also rank within the top 22% of the other two-year players. The Nationals and Harper avoided the grievance hearing today when the two sides agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million contract.
According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Harper will earn $2.5 million in 2015 and $5 million in 2016. The 22-year-old remains under club control through the 2018 season, so the Nationals have some time before he hits free agency.
Although Harper got his desired raise, it's nothing compared to Jon Lester's record-setting $30 million signing bonus he will receive from the Chicago Cubs when everything is said and done. Lester inked a six-year, $155 million deal with Chicago last week and a person familiar with the details of the contract told The Associated Press of the left-hander's signing bonus.
The $30 million bests the $25.5 million given to outfielder Vernon Wells back when he signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2008. Lester's signing bonus will be given out in four stages: $15 million is due by April 1, $2.5 million is due on December 31, 2018, another $2.5 million is due on December 31, 2019, and the final $10 million is due by September 15, 2020.
Lester's deal also has an option for a seventh year, which could make it worth up to $170 million.
