Bryce Harper joining Cubs 'not going to happen,' Maddon says

It appears the Cubs pursuit of Bryce Harper is officially dead in the water.

“Not going to happen,” manager Joe Maddon said when he was asked if the Cubs would sign Bryce Harper, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.

This comes after Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that “the Cubs would love a shot at Harper, though ownership approval continues to appear unlikely, sources say.”

Andracki noted president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has discussed the budget issues he has been working under throughout the offseason as the team appears to be well on its way to surpassing the $206 million luxury-tax threshold for the 2019 campaign because of previous contracts.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the Philadelphia Phillies are the “clear-cut favorite” to sign Harper at this point following a meeting with him in his hometown of Las Vegas on Saturday.