Bryce Harper's Yankee Stadium love offers painful reminder of Brian Cashman's biggest blunder

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper grew up as a fan of the New York Yankees, which was passed down to him by his father. Even when Harper played for the Washington Nationals, he selected his jersey number in honor of Yankees legend Mickey Mantle.

"I grew up a Yankee fan my whole life, everybody knew that," Harper told ESPN's Pat McAfee. "I grew up watching some really good Yankee teams. ... I loved those teams."

At one point, Harper seemed destined to don the pinstripes. After spending seven seasons in Washington, Harper was set to hit free agency in 2019, and all reports indicated that he had his heart set on joining New York. Yet, Harper's childhood dream never became a reality.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman opted to pass on acquiring Harper, who ultimately signed with Philadelphia in free agency. That decision has haunted Yankees fans ever since, and they received a painful reminder of it once again.

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Yankees fans reminded Brian Cashman could have signed Bryce Harper

In a social media video posted on Wednesday, Harper wasted no time professing his love for Yankee Stadium.

When Harper became a free agent in 2018, agent Scott Boras desperately attempted to get the Yankees involved. Boras tried to sell Cashman on Harper’s athleticism and ability to play first base, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Cashman didn’t see a fit, and New York didn’t even give Harper a cursory phone call to show exploratory interest, according to The Athletic. 

Hindsight would suggest that New York should have waited for Harper to become a free agent before making any big acquisitions, but Cashman didn’t show that patience. 

One year before Harper became a free agent, the Yankees made a franchise-altering trade to acquire Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins. New York sent infielder Starlin Castro, minor league pitcher Jorge Guzman and minor league shortstop Jose Devers, in exchange for the four-time All-Star. At the time, Stanton still had 10 years and $285 million remaining on the 13-year, $325 million contract he signed with the Marlins in 2014. 

Stanton had just earned NL MVP honors after leading the National League in home runs (59), RBIs (132), slugging percentage (.631) and OPS+ (169). Yet, the 35-year-old has struggled to stay healthy in New York. Stanton, who is averaging just 95 games per season with the Yankees, has missed 294 games in the past six seasons due to a litany of injuries. Cashman even called him out, noting that getting hurt “seems to be a part of his game.”

Cashman claimed that the team didn’t need Harper because they already had six outfielders, but New York could have configured an outfield with Harper, Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge. In reality, the Yankees didn’t pursue Harper for monetary reasons. The club didn’t want to add another high-priced player just one year after taking on Stanton’s massive contract. 

Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies in 2019, and he has been one of the best players in the majors ever since.