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5. Chicago Cubs
He named his dog Wrigley. He has been spotted on New Years Eve and Vegas Golden Knights games with fellow Las Vegas superstar and former MVP Kris Bryant, the Cubs third baseman. The Cubs failed to reach the NLCS for the first time since 2014. The “Wait until next year” Cubs fans experienced a World Series title for the first time in their existence in 2016 and, like Kirsten Dunst’s vampire — or Deadpool’s Dopinder — they love the taste of this blood and want some more.
The team scored zero or one run in 38 games and just two runs 16 times. The offense struggled with consistency and completely disappeared in September. Adding Harper to this young lineup would change the discussion in the Windy City. Adding Harper — who would be pulling a LeBron James to get his first title — to a lineup that includes Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javy Baez, Kyle Schwarber and Wilson Contreras would be epic. The team has some contract flexibility with its young stars as all but Rizzo are locked into their rookie contracts until 2022.
Originally the favorite to land Harper, the Cubs’ chances have dropped considerably as reality set in.
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While Harper and Bryant played against each other in high school, reports of their bromance are greatly exaggerated. With payroll issues thanks to Jason Heyward’s albatross of a deal, and a need to bolster the bullpen, the Cubs simply don’t seem to have the money to make a serious run at Harper for what he’s asking for. A five-year deal? Maybe, but that seems like a farfetched NyQuil fever dream. Barring a ninja move straight out of “Miami Connection” by general manager Theo Epstein (which is entirely possible), Cubs fans will more than likely have to simply enjoy the current Cubs roster and wonder what might have been.
