Even with Brett Gardner, the Yankees should still be in on Bryce Harper
Lots of so-called experts believe the Yankees’ decision to re-sign Brett Gardner rules them out of the Bryce Harper sweepstakes. That’s just not true.
The Yankees probably won’t be the team that lands Bryce Harper in free agency. However, if you think the signing of Brett Gardner is a serious factor in the organization’s thinking on Harper you couldn’t be more wrong. Even with Gardner back in the fold for another season, there’s still plenty of room for Harper on Aaron Boone’s roster.
Yes, we know that several prominent media outlets are reporting that the Yankees have no interest in Harper. It’s wise to take such reports with quite a few grains of salt. You have to ask yourselves the question: what would you be leaking to the media if you were Brian Cashman and you really did want to bring Harper to the Bronx? The crafty general manager certainly wouldn’t announce his intentions to the world. Instead, he’d feign indifference in an effort to drive Harper’s asking price down.
It’s at least possible that’s what Cashman is doing here. While the Yankees certainly don’t need Harper, it’s obvious that can benefit from adding his left-handed bat to their lineup. Harper didn’t enjoy a good season in 2018 and he still managed to slug 34 home runs and drive in 100 runs. It’s easy to envision a scenario where he bounces back to become an MVP candidate next year. There isn’t a lineup in the Majors that couldn’t benefit from slotting Harper into their starting nine on a daily basis.
The line of thinking that contends signing Gardner rules out a move for Harper misses one key insight. There’s little to no chance that the Yankees intend for Gardner to start everyday in left field. His performance tailed off sharply during the second half of the 2018 campaign due to overuse. The ideal plan for Gardner is to use him as a high quality backup in left and center field.
That obviously leaves the Yankees without a starting left fielder. Some people inside the organization hope that Clint Frazier can stake his claim on that spot with a strong Spring Training. The only problem with that plan is that Frazier’s next concussion could end his entire career. There’s no way Cashman can go into next season planning for Frazier to stay healthy for over 100 games in left field.
The only other internal option that’s worth any consideration is Jacoby Ellsbury. The team owes him a lot of money over the next two seasons, but his injury track record is even worse than Frazier’s. Anything he gives the team next season has to be considered a bonus.
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The point here is that New York still needs to find a left fielder they can rely on as a consistent starter in 2019. Cashman and company might not believe Harper is the right player at the right price, but the idea that the Yankees couldn’t use him is nonsense. Signing Harper would be very expensive, but it would also help close the gap on the Red Sox. No one should rule out the possibility of Cashman swooping in and stealing Harper away from the competition if the market the outfielder is looking for doesn’t quite materialize.