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Bryce Harper trade rumors: 5 teams that must call

By Joshua Sadlock

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 02: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals celebrates after hitting a home run in the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Nationals Park on July 2, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 02: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals celebrates after hitting a home run in the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Nationals Park on July 2, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – JULY 26: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees heads to the dugout after he scored in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on July 26, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 26: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees heads to the dugout after he scored in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on July 26, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

1. New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have obviously been very busy, trading for Zach Britton and J.A. Happ in the blink of an eye. There’s nothing that says the Bombers have to be done dealing, though. The Yankees still have an incredibly stacked farm system and would have no problem finding a place for Harper to play in their crowded outfield (even when Aaron Judge comes back from his broken wrist).

For several years, it felt like Harper was an obvious slam dunk to sign with the Yankees as a free agent, but it no longer feels like such a certainty. Last winter’s acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton changed things. Of course, a player like Bryce Harper changes things, and the Yankees will be able to make it work for a player of his caliber — even if it means sending Brett Gardner to the bench in the postseason.

After working through the bloated contracts and sunk costs left on the roster by the final years of the Steinbrenner family’s most aggressive spending, the Yankees are back to the point where every move they make should be focused on winning a World Series this year. The farm system has been rebuilt, and with Brian Cashman being given free rein to do more than throw money at high-cost veterans, a few blockbuster trades here and there won’t leave the Yankees bankrupt of elite prospects.

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Harper may be having a down year, but he would absolutely come alive if given the chance to hit in Yankee Stadium with Stanton and Judge. Gleyber Torres should be untouchable, but the same probably cannot be said of Miguel Andujar or Justus Sheffield. It’s an arms race in the American League between the top contenders, and Harper might be the final weapon the Yankees need to put themselves over the top.

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