![]() The Yankees seem to always value positional versatility. ![]() Who are the best “addition by subtraction” candidates? What would Gleyber Torres fetch in a deal? How big of an emphasis should the Yankees put on positional versatility, considering the holes they may encounter day to day? - Salvatore C. They could have configured an outfield of Harper in left, Hicks in center and Judge in right with Stanton as the designated hitter.Ĭould Yankees, Padres make this Juan Soto trade? Mailbag, Part 2 They had no interaction with Harper during his free agency at all I guess the front office felt there was no need to waste anyone’s time if it felt there wasn’t even a slight possibility of bringing him to the Bronx.Įven with the Yankees having six outfielders, there was still space for Harper. Maybe the wildest part of the decision to not pursue Harper was the team’s decision to not even give him a cursory phone call to show exploratory interest. Harper sandwiched between Judge and Stanton would have been tough for any team’s pitching staff to navigate. It appears the Yankees chose not to pursue Harper solely for monetary reasons because, from a roster building perspective, it makes little sense how any of the players mentioned above would have more importance to the team’s yearly championship-or-bust mantra than Harper. But the presence of Ellsbury, Hicks, Frazier and Gardner should not have prohibited the Yankees from also pursuing Harper. Steinbrenner obviously knew the Yankees would eventually have to pay Judge a significant contract. Gardner was coming off his worst season since 2011 and was entering his age-35 season. Frazier played 15 games in 2018 but was one of the prospects the team heavily believed in. Hicks made $6.3 million and, at the time, was one of the best center fielders in the American League. Ellsbury was under contract for $21.1 million and hadn’t played since 2017. The six Yankees outfielders the team was committed to were Stanton, Aaron Judge, Jacoby Ellsbury, Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier and Brett Gardner. Since then, Harper has played first base for the Phillies but only after undergoing Tommy John surgery.Ītta-boy, Harper /mcThfdrC3s When the Yankees passed on Harper, general manager Brian Cashman said he was not a fit given the team had six outfielders and playing first base was seen as unrealistic. To Stanton’s credit, he has also delivered in the playoffs. 931 OPS in his four seasons while also simultaneously being one of the most clutch postseason hitters in MLB history. Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies in 2019 and has been one of the best overall players in the game, posting a. For the past two seasons, Stanton has again battled injuries, with this year looking quite alarming given his drop in production and jarring lack of mobility. He bounced back in 2021 and was one of the few reasons to watch that slog of a season, and he single-handedly almost carried the Yankees past the Boston Red Sox in the one-game wild-card match. Stanton’s next two seasons were marred by injury. ![]() 852 OPS, hit 38 home runs and drove in 100 runs while playing 158 games. ![]() In his first season with the Yankees in 2018, Stanton posted a. As important for where the conversation stands today, Stanton played 159 games for the Miami Marlins in his MVP season. It all starts with the team’s decision to trade for Giancarlo Stanton and his $325 million contract in 2018.Īt the time, Stanton was undoubtedly one of the very best players in the sport and coming off a season in which he won the National League MVP after hitting 59 home runs and posting a 1.007 OPS. There’s a copious amount of revisionist history going on these days with the Yankees’ decision to not sign Bryce Harper in 2019. Looking back, was it a mistake to not sign Harper? - Anonymous That decision is what we use to lead off the final part of our Yankees mailbag. That did not happen, and the decision to pass on him has hurt the Yankees over the past few seasons, especially with what the team lacks now. Harper grew up a Yankees fan and seemed destined to one day have a plaque in Monument Park when the team would inevitably sign him to a long-term contract in free agency. ![]()
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