Bryce Harper's latest Yankees answer will twist the knife harder in free agency wound

The Aaron Judge Era in the Bronx has largely been a success for the Yankees (though try telling that to Yankees fans, as another cold October looms). Still, despite regular-season triumphs, they've been unable to get over the hump in the playoffs and capture title No. 28, which has eluded them since 2009. Back in 2017, we thought we'd be chasing No. 30 by now. Just didn't happen.

You can blame a whole lot of things, but the Judge Yankees have decidedly lacked the killer instinct — both in key games against their rivals, and in free agency, with the chance to truly go over the top rather than just tread water. Bringing in Bryce Harper following the 2018 season would've provided both the grit and tenacity they've often been without, while also completing the type of Super Outfield that everyone assumes the Yankees have annually (they do not, though). If you're going to be everyone's worst nightmare, regardless of personnel, you should probably act like it. Harper's leadership, star power, and glue-guy skills would've been a godsend.

Of course, the worst part is that ... Harper wanted it, too. The Yankees clearly weren't authorized to accept another fat expenditure after bringing in Giancarlo Stanton the previous winter, but the Mickey Mantle-loving Harper waited that offseason for a call that never came, instead signing on with the Phillies late (and turning Citizens Bank Park back into a national brand that represents rocking and screaming).

As if fans in the Bronx needed another reminder of Harper's Yankees love and winning intangibles, he noted in an interview this week that Derek Jeter is the all-time shortstop he'd love to play with. Though Jeter had already hung 'em up when Harper was eyeing the Yankees, the Phillies' de facto captain has plenty of Jeter-like qualities that would've fit in perfectly in pinstripes.

"Just being able to see a guy that's won championships," Harper noted about why Jeter was his pick. "And obviously he knows what it's like to play in a big market."

Bryce Harper's dream is to play with Yankees' Derek Jeter - and he could've been the next Derek Jeter

Harper wanted the game's biggest stage, brightest lights and richest history. He's taken on the No. 1 role in Philadelphia and played it perfectly, allowing pieces like Kyle Schwarber to keep the clubhouse light and slug in his wake.

Schwarber, of course, was a long-time Brian Cashman White Whale that never panned out. Harper and Schwarber easily could've been the Yankees' first base/DH duo if the Stanton trade had never been made. It's an odd slice of alternate history, and Harper tends to pop up every few months with a reminder of what dissolved before it could even begin.