Bryce Wants to be a Cub! Eh, Maybe…
So there was a new Bryce Harper rumor out there.
For what it’s worth, my source who is close to Bryce Harper tells me #Dodgers and #Cubs were 1st choices all along and he prefers not to sign with #Phillies. I’ve been hearing all winter that Harper does not want to play for Gabe Kapler due to analytics and quirky personality
— Randy Miller (@RandyJMiller) February 26, 2019
That might make it hurt even more for Chicago Cubs fans, right? I mean, the guy wants to be in Chicago and the Cubs, or the Ricketts, were too cheap to want him!?!? Apparently.
Well… maybe.
I do believe that Harper has circled the Cubs as a destination. Not cause his dog’s name. Not because his bff plays here. Not because any other superficial reasons other than, the Cubs are a contender and his age aligns with the core’s age.
So while this is a story, kind of, and the Cubs will undoubtedly leak more info on how little money they have, at this point I don’t believe Bryce believes he will be a Cub – but he absolutely needs people to believe that.
Right now, there’s a small group of teams hanging in negotiations, and regardless of how hard Harper and his camp are trying, they can’t get a bidding war started. This also tells me whatever offer they have in hand, isn’t near what they expected.
So how do the Cubs factor? Harper and his agent, Scott Boras, need a large market team to get involved. They started to get that with the LA Dodgers, but it was leaked that they were only in it for the short term. In order for Boras to work his magic, he needs another long term club with money.
That leads to the New York Yankees and the Cubs.
The Yankees have been clear on not being involved, and it’s stuck. Perhaps because they have a loaded outfield, a DH, and legitimately no place to put him. Whatever the cause, they’ve been out of the loop for the most part. The Cubs on the other hand have said they don’t have the money, have even shot down signing a big name, and have said it’s just not smart to bring in a huge free agent every year and how that doesn’t work. But somehow, they keep getting brought up in the negotiations.
The reason is simple. Harper and Boras are floating the Cubs to help their case. Perhaps it sticks because of all those superficial reasons above, but I just don’t think the door is open any longer.
Another factor here is, the Cubs have several Boras clients on the roster, and they need to keep playing nice.
Theo, “Scott, we want you to know we look at your clients as long term fixtures in Chicago, keep us in the loop on whatever we can do to help that cause.”
Scott, “Theo, it sure would help us if this rumor about Bryce is out there for a couple days.”
Theo, “ah, sure, but we’re going to have to deny it eventually so our fan base doesn’t revolt.”
I don’t have proof of this, and am only suggesting the possibility, but bigger favors have been done between agents and teams.
So let’s not get too excited about this, or at all really. There might be some truth to it, but it’s likely nothing at all, and just something to help drive a potential bidding war.
