Bryant says he and Harper have talked about playing together

Imagine a superteam featuring the two most recent National League MVPs in Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper. Pitchers in the senior circuit would be quaking in their boots.

Well, if Bryant's word is to be believed, the duo have talked about it. The Chicago Cubs third baseman told Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago on Monday that he and Harper - both natives of Las Vegas who were once youth teammates in Nevada - have broached the idea of joining together at some point, at least in passing.

"I think we might have talked about it, just like messing around," Bryant said. "Like it would be cool to play with you again."

Bryant's musings come just a few days after legendary baseball columnist Peter Gammons told a Chicago radio station that Harper would "prefer to play for the Cubs" once he hits free agency. Harper remains under contract to the Washington Nationals through the end of 2018.

There's a lot of hurdles to clear before Bryant and Harper become teammates, of course - namely, the fact that Harper is very likely going to receive one of, if not the largest contract in baseball history next winter, perhaps in excess of $400 million. Bryant won't be a free agent until after 2021, though if his star continues to rise he'll be in line for his own financial windfall in a few years. Between Bryant, teammate Anthony Rizzo, and perhaps Harper, even the Wrigley money machine might not be able to afford all three stars on mega-contracts.

Related: MLB GM expects Harper's future contract to be worth more than $400M

Don't think Bryant doesn't know this - after all, he and Harper share an agent in noted advisor to the superstars Scott Boras. Still, for the 25-year-old Bryant, it's at least nice to dream for a moment about hitting home runs at the Friendly Confines and parading down Michigan Avenue for years to come alongside his longtime buddy.

"Like I said before, we talked about it," Bryant said. "It would be really cool to play with him, but that's something that they're (Cubs executives are) going to have to talk about it. Baseball's a crazy business. You could want to play somewhere, but they might not want you, or they might not need you.

"(It's not) like Kevin Durant (signing with the Warriors last summer): 'I want to play there.' But I would say if that were able to happen and work out like that, gosh, it would be exciting."