Bryce Harper To Cubs ‘Not Going To Happen,’ Manager Joe Maddon Says

Mystery no longer surrounds one team’s reported interest in signing Bryce Harper.

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon revealed at a fan event the team won’t sign the free-agent outfielder this offseason, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. Maddon bluntly said so during a Q&A session.

Speculation linked Harper to the Cubs (among other teams) throughout the offseason, and those rumors flared again after he and his wife spent New Year’s Eve with childhood friend and Chicago star Kris Bryant and his wife.

However, the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox remain the reported front-runners for Harper’s services, with the former thought to have an edge in the race.

Some Cubs fans undoubtedly maintained hope the team would continue chasing the six-time All-Star, but Maddon’s words at the fan event should quash those aspirations.