Chicago

Could Bryce Harper Don a Cubs Uniform When He Hits Free Agency?

The Chicago Cubs already have one of the best collections of talent in all of baseball, but according to one veteran baseball reporter, one of the game’s biggest stars wants to join the party.

In an interview on Chicago sports talk radio Friday morning, long-time baseball scribe Peter Gammons said that Bryce Harper, the star Washington Nationals outfielder that won the National League MVP award in 2015, wants to join the North Siders.

“I have people tell me that Bryce Harper really would prefer to play for the Cubs,” Gammons told the Mully and Hanley Show on 670 the Score.

Getting Harper would obviously be a huge coup for the Cubs, as they already have players like Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo under team control for a long time. Harper has 15 home runs and 43 RBI this season, and he’s batting .328 so far for the first place Nationals.

Harper is also a free agent after next season, and he’ll likely sign one of the biggest contracts in MLB history if he’s allowed to hit the open market.

Unfortunately for Cubs fans, Gammons rained on the parade a bit when he elaborated on the chances of Harper inking a contract with the team.

“Somehow I don’t think it’s going to be affordable to have Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant on the same team,” he said. “It’s a great idea, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen.”

The Cubs could conceivably sign Harper, as they’ll be hoping to increase their TV revenue in the coming years, but signing him to a massive deal would likely take money away from a potential extension for Bryant, who will be a free agent after the 2021 season.

To make things more complicated, Bryant will likely command a similar amount of money to Harper, assuming that he continues the torrid production that has marked the early stages of his career. He already has an MVP award and a World Series ring on his mantel, so it would stand to reason that he’s going to cash in big-time at some point in the not-too-distant future. 

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