Yankees: Did they make a big mistake not signing Machado or Harper?

With the Yankees consistently in the teens in the number of players who have been on the IL this season, some fans might argue that the club should have signed either Manny Machado or Bryce Harper. Other fans, however, might counter that the two elite players were asking for too much money (among other things) and that they made the right decision.

This past offseason was dominated by news concerning which teams, (especially the Yankees), would sign Manny Machado and Bryce Harper? Rumors flew fast and furious, and favorites to sign either player quickly appeared and disappeared in the relentless media coverage. The back and forth was exhausting for all of us, to say the least.

Finally, in February the San Diego Padres beat out the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Yankees in the Machado sweepstakes. While the Padres were a late arrival to the Machado dance, the other three clubs had allegedly been trying to woo him during most of the offseason. Padres general manager A.J. Preller supposedly flew to Miami, met with Machado and his wife, and was able to convince him to sign with the Padres.

The superstar free agent signed a 10-year, $300 million deal to play for the Padres, a club that had been struggling to make it back to the playoffs (2006 was the last time the team was in the playoffs) and has never won a World Series. The agreement includes an opt-out clause after the fifth year.

A week later in February, with spring training games well underway, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract. His Phillies contract does not include an opt-out clause.

Although the Yanks had met with Harper during the offseason the Bombers declined to pursue him. At that point, the club was flush with healthy well-established and promising outfielders.

Harper did attract significant interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, leading to speculation that he would like to play on the West Coast. However, his lackluster defensive metrics in right and center field gave him a low WAR, just 1.3 wins above replacement. According to his agent Scott Boras, this complicated the pursuit of the kind of contract Harper had initially sought.

How well are Machado and Harper playing thus far this year?

About one-third of the 2019 baseball season is over. We are now at an appropriate juncture where it is fair to ask, did the Yanks make a mistake by not signing either Machado or Harper?

Those who believe the team should have signed Machado can argue that Miguel Andujar’s serious injury and required surgery grounding him for the entire season has left a big hole at third base for the Yanks. Replacing Andujar’s numbers will not be easy, but someone like Machado could have easily stepped in and made us forget how important Andujar was to the club’s success last year.

Of course, who knew that the Yanks’ starting third baseman would sustain such a serious injury at the beginning of the season? The Yanks did know, however, that stellar shortstop Didi Gregorius would be out at least until June during the current season, and Machado could have filled in there before moving over to play third base.

After about one-third of the season, Machado has 195 at-bats and is hitting .267. He has hit 9 home runs and has 26 RBIs. During the entire 2018 season he hit .297, slammed 37 home runs, and drove in 107 runs. He will not match these totals if he continues on the same hitting pace.

Fans who argued that the Bombers should have signed Harper at any cost can legitimately point out that the club could have certainly used him during the first 53 plus games of the year. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Hicks together have spent numerous days on the IL. Only Hicks has returned thus far. The addition of Harper would have therefore helped the Yanks a lot, these fans could argue.

How is Harper doing thus far in the season? He has had 194 at-bats and is hitting .227. He has hit 9 home runs and has 34 RBIs. Last season he hit .249, slashed 34 home runs, and drove in 100 runs. His OBP (.355), SLG (.438), and OPS (.793) are likewise down from last year’s and his career totals at this point in the season.

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Naturally, with two-thirds of the season remaining, both players still have plenty of time to step it up and improve their offensive numbers significantly. In addition, both have made major moves and are now playing with new clubs, which requires some time to adjust.

At the moment, however, Machado is not playing like a $300 million man, and Harper is certainly not playing like someone worth a $330 million contract. Moreover, the Yanks backup players for like Gio Urshela and Clint Frazier have far put up pretty solid numbers themselves so far and their contracts barely cost anything compared to Harper’s and Machado’s.

After a slow start, the Bombers now have a terrific record and are in the first place without many of their top contributors from a season ago. I, therefore, must conclude, at least at this point in time, that the Yankees made a very wise decision not to sign either player.

So, what do you think? Do you agree? Do you feel that the Yankees made a big mistake by not signing either Machado or Harper?

How well are Machado and Harper playing thus far this year?

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