Chicago Cubs: MLBTR predicts landing spots for Top 50 free agents

Chicago Cubs: Think you hate Bryce Harper now? Just wait.

Cubs fans – and baseball fans, in general – seem to fall in two distinct camps when it comes to former Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper.

You love him and have a number 34 Cubs personalized Harper jersey in your cart at MLB.com. Or you claim you’ll stop rooting for the North Siders if they pull the trigger and bring him to town. There’s not a whole lot of middle ground here.

Harper, coming off a down year by his standards, still drove in 100 runs for the first time in his career. His .889 OPS would have led all Cubs hitters – even likely NL MVP finalist Javier Baez. Let that sink in for a moment. A ‘bad’ season by Harper was still better than what we got from every Chicago player.

Regardless of the impact he could have on the Cubs roster, for MLBTR, it all comes down to money – a lot of money. They predict the former top pick will land a record-breaking 14-year, $420 million deal this offseason.

"We see the Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, Yankees, Giants, and Cardinals as the most likely suitors.  The Cubs were the pick here until the very end, and they are still a good match, but payroll concerns pushed us to switch to the Dodgers."

Everyone has talked about Machado and Los Angeles. But there’s no one better suited to the bright lights of the City of Angels than Harper, who, at just 26, is chasing his first title. There may be no better place to write his legacy than with the Dodgers, who have fallen just short in each of the last two seasons.