Cubs Rumors: Is Bryce Harper going to join the San Francisco Giants?

This isn’t one of those Cubs rumors you want to hear. The San Francisco Giants are reportedly ready to make Bryce Harper a ‘lucrative’ short-term offer.

We’re getting to the point where I don’t care where Bryce Harper signs – as long as it wraps up soon. All winter, we’ve been inundated with Cubs rumors related to the former National League MVP. And now, we’ve got another to add to the pile from USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, who reports the San Francisco Giants are readying a ‘lucrative’ short-term offer.

"“We want to be able to pursue players to bring championships back to the Giants’ fans,’’ San Francisco president Larry Baer told reporters recently. “Bryce Harper is an amazing player. It’s very hard, these are competitions, and I can’t handicap it.’’"

The Giants certainly need some thump in a lineup that ranked 14th in the National League in runs last season, better than just the lowly Miami Marlins. The offense also ranked second-to-last in slugging percentage, an area where Harper would surely bring value.

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Last year, San Francisco acted like a contender – but finished the year a distant 18 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. With Farhan Zaidi now heading the baseball operations team in the Bay, could Harper be the centerpiece of a new Giants dynasty? We’ll soon know.

But what would such a deal look like? It’s hard to say – but one has to imagine it tops the previous deal given to Zack Greinke that set baseball’s all-time highest AAV contract ($34,416,666). Given the fact Harper reportedly balked at a 10-year, $300 million offer from the Washington Nationals earlier this offseason, I’d have to think we’re talking something in the $40 million range annually.

It’s not hard to envision Harper on a three-year, $120 million deal in San Francisco. They’ve shown little to no hesitance when it comes to throwing big money at guys and at just 26 years of age, a three-year deal would wrap up with the outfielder still shy of his 30th birthday.

The end of a dream for Cubs fans?

Of course, such a move would end the North Side’s favorite Cubs rumors – well, at this point, they’re more far-fetched dreams than rumors. The offseason that once began with visions of Harper in blue pinstripes could very well end with him going to another NL team with its eye on a return to late October baseball.

As for Chicago, the front office and ownership seem to be ready to bet their 2019 success on a strong comeback campaign from several key guys, namely Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras. An aging rotation has loads of talent – and the bullpen seems to be constructed for quantity over quality after a bevy of buy-low moves by Theo Epstein late in the offseason.

Is Bryce Harper enough to put the Giants back in the same breath as teams like the Dodgers and Cubs? Maybe not – but he’s the type of guy who fills seats and brings excitement – something that is somehow lacking for a team that has won three championships in the last decade.