New York Yankees fans worried the Bombers might throw an ungodly amount of money at Bryce Harper can relax, as insider reports indicate they’re more interested in Manny Machado.
Cancel your bets on which member of the New York Yankees is most likely to choke out Bryce Harper for not hustling.
Former New York Mets GM and current MLB Network radio host Steve Phillips Tweeted that a source verified the Bombers “will not be in on Harper.”
Bad news for Scott Boras and Bryce Harper: per a source the #Yankees “will not be in on Harper.” Not a complete surprise as indicated by re-signing of Brett Gardner. Seems Machado and pitching additions are Plan A.
— Steve Phillips (@StevePhillipsGM) November 3, 2018
This is good news for big-picture Yankees fans who were concerned about pairing Giancarlo Stanton’s gargantuan contract with the even scarier amount Harper will command.
The Yankees may have been able to sell their fans on Harper had the 26-year-old outfielder put up better numbers in 2018. However, it’s hard to justify spending a large percentage of the payroll on a guy who has shown attitude problems and is coming off his second sub-.250 season in the last three years.
If the Yankees truly don’t want Harper, he’ll look for offers from teams like the Cubs, Dodgers, and Phillies.
Although Harper seems to be off the table, GM Brian Cashman could still take on a massive deal or two.
Phillips also said, “Seems like Machado and pitching additions are Plan A.” Whether he got that from his unnamed source or is just speculating is unclear.
What is certain, though, is that Manny Machado is a polarizing figure who says playing hard just isn’t his “cup of tea.” He proved that true multiple times in the 2018 playoffs.
https://twitter.com/Denlesks/status/1052696415581794304
At one point in the World Series, he even prematurely celebrated a home run, turning a ball hit off the wall into a single.
Machado’s .282 career average and 33+ home runs in each of the last four seasons are tantalizing. But his talent won’t mean much when he’s having a $30 million tea party on the base paths.
