FanPost

The Nolan Arenado Extension Is Both Bad News And Good News.

Scott Boras must be salivating right now at the news of Nolan Arenado's record-breaking $260 million extension over 8 years, with the record-breaker being the AAV of $32.5 million per season. This is almost in the ballpark of what Bryce Harper wants annually, which is an AAV of $33 million (if the contract is for 10 years since it tops Giancarlo Stanton's contract). This number could very well go up as well because of the Arenado deal. The Dodgers, much like the rest of the clubs, were enamored with Nolan Arenado and considered going after him in the 2020 offseason. Now that the Dodgers no longer can get Arenado in free agency, they likely have money that "opened up" just recently.

So why is the Nolan Arenado extension a good thing? Well, since the Dodgers were rumored to have wanted to go after Nolan, they likely didn't want to commit any more major money for the next couple of years, because they planned for it to go to Arenado. However, since Nolan is now off the market, they can officially shift their attention to Bryce Harper. I wrote about this in a previous post. Bryce would be in a fantastic position to win now, receive a major contract with an opt-out after a couple of years, and he would be close to his Las Vegas home. It makes perfect sense for Bryce Harper to be a Dodger, and the stars are starting to align.

Now, why is the Nolan Arenado extension a bad thing? As stated previously, the Arenado deal is worth $32.5 million per season over 8 years. If there is a chance Scott Boras believes he can get Bryce more money (for reasons like he's a former MVP, Silver Slugger, Multiple time all-star, a top ten OBP last season (.393) etc.), then a deal could potentially be VERY expensive for the Dodgers or Phillies. The Phillies are already reportedly very worried about losing Harper to the Dodgers and could drive the price into "stupid money" range, where the Dodgers may not be willing to go.

The Dodgers have to hope that this Nolan Arenado deal does not drive the asking price on Bryce Harper up astronomically, which could very well happen considering the fact that Boras and Harper were already chasing after a record contract prior to Nolan's reported deal. If the deal can stay within 10 years - $330 million then the Dodgers will likely open their checkbook, but if it starts to get into $340-$350 with the AAV of either $34 or $35 million per season then they should absolutely back off. Expect a bidding war for Harper, but likely nothing past $330-$340 million. It's already a high number as is, likely higher than he should get, so it's hard to see any justification behind a crazier number for Bryce Harper.

This is a fan-written post that is in no way affiliated with or related to any of the authors or editors of True Blue LA. The opinions reflected in this post do not necessarily reflect those of True Blue LA, its authors or editors.