The Internet exploded with talk of Bryce Harper possibly signing with the Chicago Cubs when the outfielder becomes a free agent after the 2018 season. The discussion erupted following a Peter Gammons interview on The Mully And Hanley Show on 670 The Score, in which the MLB insider said he’s heard Harper wants to play for the Cubs. It turns out that Kris Bryant and Harper have talked about the possibility of playing together.
As much as Harper to the Cubs would be amazing, Gammons did shut it down immediately after saying it. In case you missed it, here’s the full context of Gammons on Harper and the Cubs. It begins with talk of a Bryant contract.
Peter Gammons said Bryce Harper wants to play for the #Cubs pic.twitter.com/ZoN53s4lax
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) June 3, 2017
Here’s what Bryant had to say about it a few days later.
Via Patrick Mooney:
“I think we might have talked about it, just like messing around,” Bryant said Monday inside Wrigley Field’s state-of-the-art clubhouse. “Like it would be cool to play with you again.”
“Honestly – obviously I’ve never been an outsider looking in here – but who wouldn’t want to play here?” Bryant said. “Especially now, with everything going on around here, the renovations, winning, it just seems attractive to any player. A lot of the guys that have come over from other teams are like: ‘This is unlike any other team I’ve played for.’”
“Like I said before, we talked about it,” Bryant said. “It would be really cool to play with him, but that’s something that they’re going to have to talk about it. Baseball’s a crazy business. You could want to play somewhere, but they might not want you, or they might not need you.”
(Kris Bryant)
Read all of Monney’s piece, it includes more talk about a contract for Bryant with his agent Scott Boras addressing it as well.
Anyway, Bryant and Harper have known each other since they grew up playing baseball in Las Vegas. The duo began playing together since they were 9-years-old, so obviously there’s a personal connection. Again, I doubt Harper signs with the Cubs, but Bryant makes a good point, saying that playing for the Cubs is a unique experience and recently free agents have taken less guaranteed money to play for this team.
So, who knows. Regardless, you know any team in a big market is going to look into Harper when he’s a free agent. They have to. That includes the Cubs.
