MLBits: Nationals Offer to Harper Deferred Money Until 2072, O’s No-No-No, Yanks Hurt, More

Some off-day MLBits to cover your afternoon, and it’s Brett writing these ones instead of Michael! The only constant is change!

  • Bryce Harper returns to Washington this week in what will certainly be an early-season spectacle (he faces Max Scherzer tonight!), and it’s incredible to read just how sure he was that he was going to be re-signing with the Nationals back in December … and then how absurdly things changed in January:
  • Good lord. I know the Nationals love deferring money like I love ice cream, but this is like the version of deferment where I literally bathe in ice cream for a few weeks. I don’t know that I love ice cream THAT much.
  • (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

  • The Brewers won again, while Christian Yelich and Josh Hader continue to do impossible things. THAT’S NEAT MAN.
  • Old friend Brandon Hyde had a managerial moment yesterday, as he had to take out a young starter in the 7th inning of a no-hitter. The team’s no-hitter was lost soon thereafter by former Cubs farmhand Pedro Araujo. Man, those Cubs-Orioles exchanges are still haunting the O’s.
  • The Yankees are dealing with a litany of injuries:
  • Everyone wanted the Cubs to sign a sure-fire free agent reliever this offseason (present company included), but I suppose it’s only fair to say that if we’re reacting that quickly to the Cubs’ early-season bullpen issues, then we should also note Andrew Miller’s three early-season horrible performances for the Cardinals.
  • Remember when Julio Urias was *THE* prospect in baseball? A 19-year-old pitcher in the big leagues, ready to dominate. And then the injuries happened. Then he kinda fell off the radar. Well, the now-22-year-old lefty is back, and he was freaking dominant last night. But the Dodgers aren’t going to push it:
  • Rather than have Urias continue starting, and then shut him down later (he’s coming off serious shoulder surgery and multiple lost seasons), the Dodgers are gonna give him one more start, then move him to the bullpen, and then possibly bring him back into the rotation late in the year. Unorthodox, but giving Urias’s unique situation, I respect it.
  • If you missed the latest huge extension, it’s Ronald Acuña securing $100 million from the Braves, which is a lot of money to be sure, but an extremely reasonable deal to net upwards of 10 years of control over a potential early-20s superstar.
  • The other big MLB news today is the Kevin Pillar trade, as the Blue Jays begin their sell-off early. He was understandably emotional about leaving the team he’s come to be associated with:
  • Bad news for an important Reds prospect:
  • Shoot that arrow:
  • I absolutely love this dude’s arm:
  • https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1112915618368454657

  • Magical anniversary:
  • Kinda feels like this tweet is saying a whole lot:
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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