Is Harper "worth" 35 mill a year or whatever strictly in baseball terms? It's hard to say any single player is, but he's a very good player that is 26 and very well should just now be at the start of his prime years. He is, however, worth the money to Lerner when you factor in what he brings to your franchise off the field. And it's his money, so who cares how he spends it? Fans don't get to substitute 35 million worth of players to substitute for Harper that they feel will make for a better team.
If we don't sign Harper, what do fans think we're going to do with the extra money? No evidence from the past indicates that signing Harper means we can't/won't sign Rendon. A short-term stop gap 2B and cheap SP/bullpen depth are likely all that is out there with or without Harper for Rizzo to go get. Are we not better with Harper and whatever we can flip Eaton for than with just Eaton? The answer is obviously yes.
IF we do bring Harper back, I know I'll be thrilled.