Now that the dust has settled on Bryce Harper's record deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, we can now turn (most of) our attention to the season ahead.
Only a few high-profile free agents remain, but otherwise we know pretty much where everybody will spend their 2019 campaign and which teams are expecting to contend.
With that, let's take a look at how Harper's 13-year contract affects the Cubs this year and moving forward:
The Cubs' road just got tougher and 2019 just got a bit more dire
While the Cubs stayed mostly stagnant this winter, the rest of the National League around them got quite a bit better.