And so it begins.

Fans screaming for the Cardinals to acquire Harper is right on the cusp of reaching a fever pitch. This breakdown by Will Leitch outlines all the advantages the Cardinals have and why exactly they are in this position.

The Cardinals knew they had five years to reconstruct their roster in order to have enough money to ensure that Pujols re-signed with them, so Mozeliak, who took over as GM in 2007, and owner Bill DeWitt made some changes. They brought in new head of amateur scouting Jeff Luhnow and reconstructed the entire Minor League system with a clear mandate: Produce enough cheap talent that we don’t have to pay free-agent money that we’ve earmarked for Pujols to other players. And it worked, extravagantly, in every imaginable way but one.

I hope they get him.