It is highly likely that Bryce Harper's contract, once he hits free agency after the 2018 season, will set a precedent never before seen in baseball; it is likely he will become the sport's first-ever $400 million dollar man. This is evidenced by the fact that his 1-year deal to avoid arbitration this offseason already broke the record for largest annual salary on such a contract, and the fact that he has openly requested that interested teams give him $400 million over 10 years. This eliminates the vast majority of MLB clubs, as many simply do not have $400 million in total payroll period, such as the A's, Padres, or Brewers, while others who could feasibly pay it either do not think he is worth the money or do not want to go over the luxury tax threshold, such as the Cardinals or Red Sox. This leaves just a few teams left in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes, and most of them are the usual suspects: the New York Yankees, famous for buying whatever free agent they want, are looking to have a field day in the loaded 2018 class, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have broken payroll records many times over to sign the players they want, and his current club, the Washington Nationals, a solid team that has smartly worked contract length enough to have the capital to re-sign their franchise cornerstone, and the Texas Rangers, a team known for dishing out massive contracts to outspoken superstars, a la Alex Rodriguez. However, there are a few dark horse candidates that would be a very interesting fit for Harper, such as the Atlanta Braves, whose payroll is so low they likely could give him a massive contract, and the Los Angeles Angels, which would give baseball's two best players the never-before-seen opportunity to play together.

The Angels have shocked the baseball world before with massive free agent signings. In two consecutive offseasons, the Halos signed 3 of the biggest free agent names available in Albert Pujols, a future Hall of Famer, Josh Hamilton, a former AL MVP, and CJ Wilson, an All-Star. Combined with the emergence of Mike Trout as the game's best player, these signings (although Hamilton and Wilson did not end up working out in the long term for various reasons) helped guide Los Angeles to a 98-win 2014, good for the best record in baseball. The Angels need to pull out all the stops to ensure Mike Trout will re-sign himself in 2020, and signing a player of Harper's caliber would almost assure that. The Angels streaky offense would instantly become baseball's most potent attack, featuring Trout, Harper, and Pujols back-to-back-to-back, and would give many opposing pitchers nightmares. Currently, the Angels only have Andrelton Simmons, Trout, Pujols, and Kole Calhoun signed through 2018, so there could feasibly be enough money to sign Harper if they let role players such as Yunel Escobar and Danny Espinosa walk in free agency. This would easily become one of the biggest and most surprising moves in baseball history, but one day, we could see both of baseball's brightest young stars donning Angel red on Southern California nights.