The Chicago Cubs rumors involving the potential signing of MLB star Bryce Harper have fans excited. Chicago didn't get as deep into the postseason as they'd hoped but still looks like they could be a contender with some help. Harper ranks among the top 15 or so hitters in baseball at the moment, so he'd certainly help. However, even though the Cubs are considered one of the teams interested in Harper, there may be another team with a better shot at signing him.
Six teams contending for Harper
There are six teams that have been mentioned in the Bryce Harper MLB rumors over the past months. Among them are not only the Chicago Cubs, but also the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Several of those clubs were contenders during the MLB playoffs, not long ago. However, the highest bidder is expected to sign Harper.
Bryce Harper will be a valuable commodity based on his resume. Since 2012, he's achieved six All-Star appearances and won both the Rookie of the Year in 2012 as well as the NL MVP Award in 2015.
His career numbers include 922 hits, 184 home runs, 521 RBIs, and a .279 batting average.
Harper earned $13.6 million in 2017 and then $21.6 million last season. That will certainly increase when he signs with a new team or re-signs with the Washington Nationals. In fact, Harper may command the largest MLB contract in history.
Chicago Cubs' salary situation
As the Chicago Sun-Times noted, the Cubs will have a total of 13 players who will be under contract in 2019. The expected luxury tax level will be $164.6 million, and when you add in the arbitration-eligible players' salaries, the total salaries on the roster reach over $204 million. The Cubs are expected to give pay raises to multiple players, including Javier Baez, Kyle Hendricks, and Kyle Schwarber.
Chicago is a profitable franchise and Bryce Harper might bring them the potential for their own network. While that brings even more revenue, many analysts believe that the Cubs' salary situation will keep them from landing Harper.
NL teams predicted to get Harper
The Yankees might be the only American League team vying for Harper, leaving several National League contenders. Among them, the Cubs and Dodgers were in this recent postseason. Chicago bowed out much earlier than the Dodgers, who lost to the Red Sox in the World Series. With that in mind, the website MLB Trade Rumors is predicting that the Los Angeles Dodgers will end up signing Harper. They're expecting that the deal Harper signs is going to eclipse the record-setting deal Giancarlo Stanton signed.
That was $325 million, and the site speculates that Harper will net $420 million by heading to Los Angeles.
As the Sun-Times mentions, the St. Louis Cardinals are also in a better position when it comes to making a deal. They have plenty of revenue and room for payroll growth, so that could be Harper's landing spot next season. With that in mind, the Chicago Cubs rumors of landing a player as valuable as Bryce Harper may be laid to rest.