The salary cap is an actual thing. The Yankees are trying to get under it, the Dodgers are trying to get down close to it. The Red Sox are counting pennies and waiting to make a deal because they only have around $7 million of “cap space” remaining (per Cafardo) or *they go into the luxury tax

Don’t think of this trade on face value, the return was better because of Q’s contract. The Cubs may have an extra $10-15 million to work with the next three seasons because of the contract. (Versus paying market rate for a playoff-worthy starting pitcher in the offseason.)

Would the deal sound better to you if it was Jimenez and Cease + for 3½ years of Quintana AND three more seasons of Wade Davis?

Not saying that’s what Epstein will do with the extra cash, but the deal gives the Cubs room to make an extra move – every roster decision needs to consider salary cap considerations.

We’ll see when Harper and Machado hit the market in November 2018, but it seems to me that the clubs are treating this luxury tax very seriously. The penalties are no longer “just money”.