So many long-term contracts turn out to be millstones dragging teams down. Neither Harper nor Machado is as good as Albert Pujols was when he signed with the Angels, and look how that turned out.
Pujols was 6 years older, so the hype is somewhat related to the age of Machado and Harper. More of their contracts will be during their “prime” years. I still think these numbers are way too high.