Deadline Day for Nats, Harper

Strasburg to Harper: Sign if you want to play

The Washington Nationals and No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Harper are facing a deadline to get a deal done.

Major League Baseball clubs have until midnight to agree on contracts with players picked in June's amateur draft.

Harper is a 17-year-old power-hitting junior college catcher the Nationals want to convert to an outfielder.

The Nationals know this scenario well: They came to terms with last year's No. 1 choice, pitcher Stephen Strasburg, with about a minute or so left on the clock.

Strasburg, who is represented by the same agent as Harper, Scott Boras, had this to say: "If he doesn't want to play here, then we don't want him here."

Boras, who is well known for using the leverage of the signing deadline to extract maximum dollars for his clients, has said that Harper is an interesting case because few high school sluggers have been taken No. 1, so there's are few comparable cases.


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