And it was explained to you that it was an aberration in 2016 and totally dependent on the Cubs needing to commit. Case in point, this past offseason, Wade Davis went for less and David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle also went for (far) less.
So, again, which team is going to cough up a top 25 prospect for ONE year of Harper?
How many times do I have to say it? ANY contending team could possibly deal a top-25 prospect for Harper. It only takes 1. I'm sure not every team if in the race needing a closer would've dealt a Gleyber Torres for Chapman, but the Cubs did because they were trying to break the title drought. Yes there is a premium for closers at the deadline, but we know that because they are available at the deadline each year. Have you EVER seen a position player the caliber of Harper on the tarde market the year before they hit free agency during the offseason? There is nothing to compare that to, but I'm quite sure that out of the Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Twins, Astros, Angels, Cubs, and Dodgers that somebody would make a big move and offer a top-25 range prospect at least. Even if you don't have a black hole in the OF, you still acquire Harper and then you can trade from your excess of other OFs for somebody else. At least 1 of those teams would feel a MVP-caliber addition to their everyday lineup would put them over the top. Not every top-25 prospect is a "can't miss" guy. We obviously felt Giolitto wasn't. I bet we'd have given Gioitto up for the likes of a Bryce Harper for one year hypothetically.