New Bryce Harper quote will rip the hearts right out of Cubs' fans chests

The 'what might have been' game isn't a particularly fun one for Chicago Cubs fans looking back on the last seven or so years of decisions made by ownership and the front office. But none live more rent-free in our minds than the choice to not even engage with Bryce Harper when he was a free agent following the 2018 campaign.

Would the team's championship window have slammed shut in such dramatic fashion? Does Joe Maddon get shown the door at the end of the 2019 season? Is Jed Hoyer even the guy calling the shots in 2025 - or does Theo Epstein stick around, rejuvenated by the idea of building the 'next great Cubs team' around Harper?

We'll never know. But what we do know is Harper wanted to call Wrigley Field home the rest of his career as he embarked on his free agency journey that winter, one that wound up stretching into the spring before he signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Cubs never even had a conversation with Bryce Harper as a free agent

Speaking to The Athletic (subscription required) prior to this weekend's matchup against the Cubs, Harper said Chicago was the 'number 1 team on my list,' - but the team never had any sort of talks with him, a tough look given Harper noted that one of the 'better' meetings he had was with the Chicago White Sox. To not even have a conversation with him borders on malpractice, but here we are.

Harper has lived up to the contract in Philly - and then some. He's won a trio of Silver Sluggers, made two All-Star teams and brought home National League MVP honors back in 2021. Granted, he's never come close to the 9.7 bWAR season he put up with the Washington Nationals in 2015 as a 22-year-old when he won his first MVP, but he's still been a solidly above-average player - and one whose contract looks better with each passing year.

With the Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. agreeing to a 15-year, $500 million deal, the stage is set for Kyle Tucker to command a king's ransom this winter, setting the stage for what could be the breaking point for the fanbase's relationship with owner Tom Ricketts. Sitting on the sidelines yet again with a superstar-caliber player there for the taking won't sit well.

Will history repeat itself? Let's hope not - because the Cubs can't possibly hope to build a long-term contender by just playing this mid-market game for another decade.