Chicago Cubs: A future chance at Harper or Machado

The Chicago Cubs probably aren’t going to sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado this offseason. However, that doesn’t mean that all hope of one of them being a Chicago Cub one day in the future is gone forever.

It is becoming increasingly likely that Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will sign short contracts or contracts with early and possibly multiple opt-outs. The Chicago Cubs may be in a better position to sign one of them in a few years.

Last offseason former Cub Jake Arrieta signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. His contract is a complicated one that could potentially be a five-year deal. However, there are multiple opt-outs and option years in his contract. Arrieta could be a free agent again as early as after the 2021 season. That would be just three years into the deal.

J.D. Martinez also signed a complicated five-year deal last offseason. His contract with the Red Sox features three consecutive opt-outs after each of 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons.

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Yu Darvish can opt out of his six year deal with the Cubs after this upcoming season. However, I suspect that after the last two slow off seasons and Darvish’s disappointing 2018 season that even if he pitches well this year there is a very low chance that he opts out of his contract with the Cubs.

Just because a player has an opt-out doesn’t mean that they will exercise it. Jason Heyward and David Price both declined from opting out of their contracts at the beginning of this offseason.

Sometimes even when a player uses an opt-out, it doesn’t mean that he leaves his team. Clayton Kershaw opted out of the final two years of his contract and then agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Dodgers.

However, the possibility of a player opting out and leaving his team for another is not just hypothetical. After the 2015 season, Zack Greinke opted out of his contract with the Dodgers to sign a six-year deal with the Diamondbacks.

Chicago Cubs: Team might be in a better position in the future to sign Harper or Machado.

Theo Epstein recently clarified the position that Cubs have been in this offseason. He reiterated that Cubs fans should not be expecting a big, late free agent signing anywhere near the caliber of  Harper or Machado. Instead, he said that the Cubs, “have to be sort of creative and value-based.”

However, if Harper and Machado sign contracts similar to the ones Arrieta and Martinez signed late last offseason, then they may soon be free agents once again. Even teams such as the Rays might be considering the positive impact that a one year deal with Harper might have on their organization’s bottom line.

In a couple of years, Tyler Chatwood‘s contract will be off the books. Ben Zobrist only has one more year left on his contract. Veteran relief pitchers Brian Duensing and Brandon Kintzler maybe valuable contributors to this year’s bullpen or their salaries maybe dead money. Either way, they only have this season left on their current contracts.

Perhaps the Cubs will be able to sign some of their young players to contract extensions. In just the last few days Aaron Nola, Luis Severino, Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco have signed extensions with their teams. So there is a reason for increased hope that the Cubs might be able to extend some of their young players.