Harper felt 'hurt' by Nationals' offer in free agency

While Bryce Harper admitted he wanted to stay with the Washington Nationals, the offer the club made did not make the superstar outfielder sense the feeling was mutual.

"I thought we had a pretty good meeting," Harper said during an appearance on the "Starting 9" podcast, discussing conversations he had with the Lerner family prior to Christmas. "Actually, I thought we had a really good meeting. And I walked out of there and I said 'Scott (Boras), get it done. I know you will, if they are willing to do this, like, get it done.'"

Eventually, the offer came in and, while no specifics were given, the 2015 MVP admitted that "it hurt."

Later that offseason, Harper signed a record-breaking 13-year, $330-million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Harper, 27, spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Nationals after being selected first overall in the 2010 draft and breaking into the majors as a teenager in 2012. Harper posted an .817 OPS over 137 games in his debut campaign, claiming NL Rookie of the Year honors. He later won a unanimous NL MVP award, hitting .330/.460/.649 with 42 homers over 153 games in 2015.

Harper also admitted he harbored no jealousy for his former teammates on the Nationals, who won the 2019 World Series - the first championship in the franchise's history.