Bryce Harper's monster season won't likely be enough to lift the underachieving Washington Nationals into the playoffs, but it carries major implications nonetheless.

Harper, who is hitting .338/.467/.670 with 40 home runs, 92 RBIs and only eight more strikeouts than walks, may force the club to offer him a contract extension sooner rather than later.

"Harper has rocketed so high that, before he can duplicate his 2015 show in 2016 and certify a market value of, perhaps, $500 million, the Lerners need to decide whether they should approach him about a lifetime contract, like Miami did when it signed Giancarlo Stanton for $325 million over 13 years," writes Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post.

Harper, 22, can't leave the Nationals on his own accord until after the 2018 season.