Nationals extend Bryce Harper through the 2018 season

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The Nationals signed star outfielder Bryce Harper to a one-year contract extension through 2018, the team announced on Saturday. Terms of the extension have not been formally released, but according to reports from FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, they include a $21.65 million salary and an additional $1 million bonus if Harper secures another MVP title. Per Heyman, it projects to be Major League Baseball’s biggest one-year salary bump for a would-be arbitration-eligible player.

However you slice it, it’s a huge chunk of change for one of the league’s most valuable players. Harper slugged his way to a cumulative 23 fWAR for the Nationals over the last five years, earning four All-Star nominations, a Silver Slugger award, and NL Rookie of the Year and MVP honors to boot. While he hasn’t yet returned to the record-setting pace he maintained in 2015, replete with 42 home runs and a .330/.460/.649 batting line, he’s been one of the most consistent and productive hitters in either league. Through his first 31 games of the 2017 season, the 24-year-old is batting a tremendous .372/.496/.717 with 10 home runs and 2.4 fWAR and has already started to form a strong case for MVP consideration.

Harper is set to enter free agency following the 2018 season and will almost undoubtedly test the waters in search of another mammoth deal. For now, however, he’ll continue setting records for the Nationals, and if all goes according to plan, help power them through another postseason run come October.

New bill to build Athletics stadium on Las Vegas Strip caps Nevada’s cost at $380 million

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CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.