Bryce Harper's initial offer from the Nationals for a blockbuster contract extension came in a unique and sentimental way.
According to The Washington Post, during a rain delay in the Nationals' final home game of the 2018 season, Harper was called to manager Dave Martinez's office.
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However, Martinez wasn't in his office. Instead, team owner Ted Lerner and son Mark Lerner were waiting for him and handed him an envelope.
Not wanting to be distracted or miss any bit of the game should the rain let up, Harper reportedly tucked away the envelope away and went back to the dugout.
The game eventually was called, allowing Harper to meet with his wife, Kayla, in a hallway of Nationals Park. They opened the envelope together and saw the team was offering Harper a 10-year, $300 million extension.
"I was kind of shocked at it, because it was kind of like, ‘Hey, this is an offer you can’t reject, and it’s going to be great,'" Harper said, via The Post. "I was like: 'All right, cool. I got it. We can build off that. We can work off that.' If that’s their first offer, cool. Awesome."
Of course, the offseason stretched on and Harper and the team were unable to work off that. He received a second offer from the team, which was for a longer extension, but less money.
"I’m sitting there like: 'I’m going to be a National. I’m going to be a National,'" he said. "'They’re going to make me an offer this week. We’re going to build off of that, and it’s going to happen.' I told Kayla, ‘Be ready to go back.' I flat-out told her. I was psyched. I was like, 'Be ready to go back, because if we can, we’re going back.' I was pumped.”
In the end, Harper didn't receive what he wanted from the Nationals, and the Phillies made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
"They were just open and honest with me about their concerns about me coming to Philly and vice versa," Harper said. "They wanted to understand if they could trust me as a person, trust me as a player. And I love that. I was like, 'Man, these people are really engaged on the players they want in their clubhouse and the players they want in their city.' (Phillies owner John Middleton) was able to put his faith in me with the amount of years that he offered, and that’s a big leap."
Harper returns to Washington for the first time as a Phillie for a two-game series beginning Tuesday.