Training camps open in less than three weeks and Harper and Machado are still unsigned.

[Captain Stern]

9. It's bad timing for Harper and Machado

If they'd been free agents two years ago, they would have cleaned up.

Two years ago, the common "wisdom" was that teams (mainly the Yankees) were trying to get under the luxury tax threshold to be in position for this year's free agents....the Yankees are going to have an awesome young core, AND get two of the best players on the planet.

But, like the commercial goes,...life comes at you fast. The teams that actually could afford to pay record long-term contracts for these guys, don't need to. They're all pretty solid.

Also MLB teams (along with NFL and NBA teams) are starting to appreciate the 'art of the tank'....why pay big dollars for a free agent, and miss the playoffs, when you could miss the playoffs, and not pay a lot for a free agent?

This isn't a joke any more. Two of the most attractive free agents of all time are still unsigned, just days away from the opening of spring training. And, they're not unsigned because of a big bidding war. They're unsigned because nobody wants to pay them the money that they think they are worth.