Another thing -- if the Cubs are really interested in Machado long term, getting him to Chicago and experiencing the culture, winning, etc., may give them an extra shot at signing him this off season. While money will talk, if all things are equal - and Machado enjoyed his time in Chicago and likes their chances going forward - it might help them sign him. Of course, that only matters if the Cubs are interested in Machado longterm. Can the Cubs realistically afford 35-40M a year for Machado? I mean I know they have gobs of money compared to us, but they haven't exactly been a shining example of fiscal responsibility. Hayward is the worst one, but Darvish, Lester...they've got some guys in the low 8 figure a year commitments too. Rizzo has a decent contract through 2021 and I would guess they plan on letting him walk after, but I would guess Bryant is going to start approaching $20M or so annually in his later years of arbitration and there's no way they're going to let him walk, right? I guess it wouldn't be too surprising though if they're in on one of Machado or Harper. I would think they might prefer Machado.