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OXON HILL, Md. -- If Bryce Harpers representatives have had real discussions about a long-term contract with the Washington Nationals, general manager Mike Rizzo is not tipping his hand.Meeting with reporters Monday at baseballs winter meetings, Rizzo deflected a question about whether hes engaged Harper or agent Scott Boras about an extension for the slugger who was the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year and 2015 NL MVP.Its not like us to discuss anything that we (say) when were talking to players about anything, so Im not going to answer any of those kind of questions, Rizzo said. Those are private discussions between us and the players.Harper -- who is coming off a down year, hitting .243 with 24 homers and 86 RBI for the NL East champions -- is under Washingtons control for two more seasons.He can become a free agent for the first time after the 2018 season.With every player that you acquire, its a possibility that you may lose them in their specific time frame. With Bryce Harper and every other player that has a contract expiring, you better make plans, Rizzo said, when asked about preparing for the chance that Harper could leave in 2018. And its not just Bryce Harper; its everybody on the roster.Rizzo said he speaks weekly with Boras -- and other agents. That the GM would be in regular contact with Boras is hardly surprising, given that he represents several Nationals in addition to Harper, including pitchers Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg and third baseman Anthony Rendon.Were constantly talking to him throughout the year, throughout the winter, during the season, Rizzo said. Theyre not specific negotiations, but theyre discussions about strategies and philosophies and all those things that come into it.Among other topics touched on by Rizzo:- Things just didnt work out with closer Mark Melancon, who was acquired by Washington at the trade deadline last season and agreed to a free-agent deal with the San Francisco Giants. Rizzo said the Nationals offered market value, but the Giants offered him more.- With Melancons departure, Rizzo acknowledged the obvious, saying: The bullpen is something were going to have to address.- On the possibility of trading for White Sox starter Chris Sale or Pittsburgh outfielder Andrew McCutchen, Rizzo said: Weve had ongoing discussions with a lot of different teams. The White Sox and the Pirates have been two of them. But weve got a lot of lines in the water. Weve got a lot of irons in the fire. ... Were going to be aggressive if the occasion arises, but were going to be prudent and smart about it.- On whether he feels a sense of urgency to improve his roster, Rizzo responded: I think urgency is a mistake. Were coming off a 95-win team with a good young core of players and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.Cameron Jordan Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Its another day and here we are looking at another dubious hit to the head. 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Dylan Armstrong agonized over the bronze medal lost in Beijing -- not only because he missed it by so little, but because he knew in his heart it was rightfully his. The Canadian thrower is one step closer to getting that shot put bronze medal from the 2008 Beijing Games after Belarusian Andrei Mikhnevich received a lifetime ban for a doping violation. "I worked hard for it, and I want it back," Armstrong told The Canadian Press in a phone interview. The 32-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., missed a medal by less than a centimetre -- about the width of a dime -- at the 2008 Games. And while nothing will replace that moment lost, Armstrong said "I just have to turn this whole thing around and turn it into a positive thing. Yes, its unfortunate it happened that way. But its still a medal coming my way so thats the most important thing. "Its my countrys medal too, we deserve it." There have been times a frustrated Armstrong has wanted to scream out to the world about the drug cheats in his sport, he admitted -- that night at Beijings Birds Nest Stadium notwithstanding. "Especially when you know its going on, and theres nothing you can do," the thrower said from Szcsecin, Poland, where hell compete in a meet Saturday. "A lot of the general public doesnt really know whats going on in the whole game. "Doping, its in sport. Theres obviously going to be those people willing to cheat for financial success, and financial rewards in those countries are quite big, you can pretty well be taken care of for life." Armstrong first heard bronze was within his grasp in March when Mikhnevich was suspended after renewed tests from the 2005 world championships in Helsinki. It was the Belarusians second doping offence, which comes with an automatic lifetime ban, effectively wiping out all his results past that time. Still, Armstrong was thrilled when he was in the Amsterdam airport Thursday morning and read on Twitter that the Belarusian Athletics Federation had suspended the drug cheat. "The wheels have started turning," said Armstrong, whose bronze would be Canadas first-ever Olympic medal in shot put. "Im extremely happy, its been a little bit of a roller-coaster since March, just waiting and seeing whats going to develop. But Im pretty delighted to see the IAAF (the world governing body for track and field) has really stepped up their testing and taken greater responsibility with this in trying to catch athletes. And not even the athletes, but federations that are involved in some of this. "Im just happy the IAAF and WADA is finally really starting to nail down these guys." Armstrong is also in position for a 2010 world indoor championship bronze, since Mikhnevicch took silver at that event while Armstrong finished fourth.dddddddddddd. Hell likely get the world indoor medal first as it only needs rubber stamping from the IAAF. The Olympic bronze needs to go through both the IAAF and the International Olympic Committee. Armstrong, who was ranked No. 1 in the world in 2011, said hes proud of the fact he can be a positive role model for other athletes -- proof that competing clean can eventually pay off. "Youre going to get caught, and were really seeing that in the world today," he said. "Some of these athletes who have taken that route, its all coming back to haunt them now. It would not be a fun experience. It doesnt pay to cheat. Just train hard and be dedicated and really want it, and big things can come." Charmaine Crooks, a five-time Olympian in track and field and member of the IOCs athletes commission, said the Belarusians lifetime suspension renews the message about the need to remain strong against doping in sport. "This is a clear message that the system is working," Crooks said. "This is a great day not only for Dylan Armstrong, but also for all of Canada to be able to celebrate in this upgrade in this medal." Athletics Canada chairman Gordon Orlikow added: "We feel this is a vindication of everything were supposed to be doing together." Athletics Canada officials are unclear how soon Armstrong might receive his medal. It took nearly two-and-a-half years before Canadian cross-country skier Beckie Scott received her 2002 Olympic gold medal following the disqualification for doping of the gold and silver medallists. American shot putter Adam Nelson however received the 2004 Olympic gold four months after the original Athens champion Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine was caught in a re-test. Armstrong, meanwhile, said hes finally at full health after he was plagued by an elbow injury last season, finishing a disappointing fifth at last summers London Olympics. "My mind is fresh and I feel really great," he said. "I took a lot of time off, probably the most time Ive taken off in 15 years. Just went on a few vacations, relaxed and let my elbow heal. Things are starting to come around." The six-foot-four thrower will compete next Wednesday at a meet outside Warsaw, then fly home for the Canadian championships in just over a week in Moncton. Mikhnevich was one of six athletes caught in the re-test from 2005, and the IAAF and WADA have vowed to continue investigating past results. The other five athletes caught were Belarusian shot putter Nazdeya Ostapchuk, hammer throwers Ivan Tsikhan and Vadim Devyatovsky of Belarus, Russian hammer thrower Olga Kuzenkova, and Russian long jumper Tatyana Kotova. ' ' '