So begins a nauseating offseason for the New York Yankees as they watch the Boston Red Sox celebrate their ninth World Series title in franchise history.
After watching their division rivals celebrate an ALDS victory on their own field, the 100-win Yankees will be looking for the final pieces of a championship puzzle this winter.
Given their big-market standing, their financial capabilities, and their tradition of winning, New York is expected to be in the running for the game’s best available players, whether it be on the trade market or in free agency.
However, this year’s free agency class might be the best one Major League Baseball has seen in quite some time as both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are available, which provides the possibility of one, or both of these talents winding up in the Bronx.
After seven seasons with the Washington Nationals that didn’t even provide a single playoff series win, Harper is on the verge of becoming the richest man in baseball. The 2015 National League MVP is a seven-time All-Star is coming off a down season that still yielded 34 home runs and 100 RBI despite batting just .249. He’s slashing .276/.388/.512 during his career with 162-game averages of 32 home runs and 91 RBI.
A big left-handed bat like the one owned by the 26-year-old in Yankee Stadium could see those numbers get even better thanks to a short porch in right field.
Not far behind Harper in terms of expected money will be Machado, who might have lost a bit on his next deal after his antics during the playoffs this year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Too often was the shortstop, who is also just 26, at the center of controversy whether it was regarding his lack of hustle or unsportsmanlike conduct on the base paths.
Still, this is a player coming off a career year in which he combined to bat .297 with 37 home runs and 107 RBI with the Baltimore Orioles and Dodgers.
With Brett Gardner on the way out and Didi Gregorius recovering from an elbow injury for a good chunk of the 2019 season, the Yankees do have openings for either player, but it doesn’t sound like they want them.
SNY’s Andy Martino reported on Monday morning that Harper is not apart of the team’s offseason plans. It’s been known since the end of the ALDS that the Yankees will try and bring back Andrew McCutchen on a cheaper contract to hold down the left-field spot.
As for Machado, Martino reveals that interest from the Yankees baseball operations staff has significantly decreased after his actions during the playoffs. It’s a sudden change of tune for a franchise that went for Machado last winter and at the 2018 trade deadline.
It doesn’t mean that both players are ruled out of the Yankees’ plans, especially if ownership sees it vital for the organization to acquire at least one of these players. However, at the moment, it doesn’t look likely.
