Yankees Rumors: Team not in pursuit of Bryce Harper in Free Agency

The Yankees are expected to be active spenders on the free agent market this offseason but one name fans shouldn’t expect to see in pinstripes next year is Bryce Harper.

The six-time All-Star had long been linked to signing with New York during the 2019 offseason, but unfortunately for Harper, he just doesn’t seem to be a fit for this Yankees roster. According to former Mets GM and MLB Network Radio host Steve Phillips the Yanks won’t be in on the Harper sweepstakes.

After last winter’s acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton and the quick resigning of Brett Gardner this offseason the Yankees sure seem to be set with outfielders for the upcoming season.

Harper would obviously be a great addition to any club that wants to sign him but the for the cost it would take to get him it just doesn’t make sense for this Yankee team to pursue him. Assuming Clint Frazier will be healthy next spring along with Jacoby Ellsbury the Yankees will have six outfielders with only four or five spots open on the 25-man roster.

We know that Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks will be starting in right and center field respectively and Giancarlo Stanton will be the primary DH, but he’ll also fill in at each corner outfield spot. That leaves Gardner, Frazier, and Ellsbury to battle for the starting job in left if Harper is truly off the table. Considering how the Yankees biggest need is an addition or two to their starting rotation I think it’s safe to say that Harper is in fact not on Brian Cashman’s offseason wish list.

After they traded for Stanton and his massive 10-year contract a year ago it feels like the Yankees want to avoid signing another player to a mega-deal for a similar amount of years. That may also keep them from heavily pursuing Manny Machado because they know first hand how those long-term deals can really hurt the franchise once the contract reaches its later stages (e.g. A-Rod).

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Both Harper and Machado are a couple years younger than Stanton and even though they should be able to produce at MVP levels for the majority of their respective deals, the Yankees would be wise to avoid them and spend their money on starting pitching instead.

The Yankees offense is far from perfect but it’s still one of the best in baseball and they really don’t need to add another big bat in order to contend for a championship. What they should add is another ace or two to ensure that they’re starting rotation will a be a strength and not a weakness next October.

I know for many fans Harper would be a dream acquisition because they believe he’s the piece who could put this team over the top next season.

He could be the everyday left fielder and hit 50 plus home runs in a season playing half his games at Yankee Stadium. He’d give the team the power lefty bat they’re going to need next season with Didi Gregorius out recovering from Tommy John surgery.

That’s all true but I don’t think everyone really understands how much it’s going to cost to sign a generational type talent like Harper to a free agent deal. He’s going to get paid at least $300 million and he’s going to get multiple offers for 10 years or more.

Now that they’re finally under the luxury tax threshold the Yankees and Hal Steinbrenner can afford Harper. However, they’d be far better off spending all that money on multiple players (pitchers) instead of spending it all at one guy.

As good as the Yankees are they’re not a Bryce Harper away from winning a championship or even overtaking the Red Sox in the division. With the offense they already have in place what they really need to put them over the top is better starting pitching.

That’s why I fully expect them to make upgrading their starting rotation their top priority instead of the great Bryce Harper.