The Yankees are among the big-market, big-spending, big-competitive clubs that I simply don’t think you can ever rule out for *any* free agent simply because of the composition of the rest of their roster or the constitution of their payroll. I think the Cubs are almost in that tier, and certainly should be by the time their next TV deal kicks in (in whatever form) after next year.
So, when a 26-year-old generational talent hits free agency, I think you toss most of the traditional considerations out the window when it comes to a club like the Yankees. Mostly, I think that’s going to mean them pursuing Manny Machado aggressively. But I’d never rule them entirely out on Bryce Harper.
Even if one report indicates that they are out.
That report, from Andy Martino at SNY, indicates that Harper is not part of the Yankees’ offseason plans, as “their outfield and DH spots are spoken for.”
Again, I don’t think there’s a team out there that couldn’t find a spot for Harper, but the Yankees do have quite a load of longer-term outfield/DH pieces locked up, from Giancarlo Stanton to Aaron Judge to Aaron Hicks to Miguel Andujar to Luke Voit. So maybe they really will decide to focus their resources elsewhere.
On the other hand, even with that collection of talent, are you going to tell me the Yankees are just going to sit out the conversations about a guy who could be a core offensive force for a decade? If you have the resources, you can find a way to make him fit. It’s by this logic that we argue the Cubs should be hardcore in on Harper, and there’s even less reason for the Yankees to sit it out, since they have the DH spot available and the Cubs do not.
Fun fact: Bryce Harper is younger than all of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Aaron Hicks.
So, this is me passing along the report about the Yankees and Harper. While there are a couple other clubs that probably scare me more as Harper suitors – Dodgers and Phillies, primarily – I’m not taking the Yankees off my radar just yet.
Dubious Bryce Harper is dubious: