HARPER TO THE YANKEES? NOPE, NOT HAPPENING... I THINK

Source: The Athletic

Are you getting tired of the fake news floating about Twitter and other media channels or are these banters getting you all fired up for what is to come?  As Mike Francesa and other WFAN folks have said over the last couple of weeks, there will be a lot of activity around New York teams who are looking to tinker with pieces that are not working.  This was a blanket statement regarding many of the New York teams that are seemingly not working, not just the Yankees.  Teams like the Mets, Jets and Giants were all part of the conversation.  But if we drill in on the Yankees, since we are Bleeding Yankee Blue after all, you will hear a lot of talk about Manny Machado, Corey Kluber, Patrick Corbin, James Paxton and Bryce Harper.  The last of the list is the coldest and Bill Madden of the Daily News says that Harper to the Yankees is simply not happening.

Source: The New York Post

"Suffice to say, the Harper-to-the-Yankees dream is dead. Spending $250 million-plus on another outfielder – even an outfielder who could maybe play first base – is not something they either need or want to do. What they do need — and intend to do — is to add at least two more proven quality frontline starting pitchers. That is the priority," states Madden.  Despite the fact that his agent Scott Boras is reminding the Yankees that Harper grew up idolizing Mickey Mantle and that he "takes ground balls at first base all the time in the offseason" and that "he can help a team in many ways." Nope, the Yankees seem to be not having it as they need to focus on pitching which is why they may be willing to give up Miguel Andjuar, which I think is ridiculous.

Source: NBC Sports

Giving a big contract to Harper or Machado for that matter is something the Yankees are moving away from and do they really need to go back there?

Source: Elite Sports

With regards to filling the hole that Didi Gregorius will leave in the middle of the infield due to his season delaying Tommy John surgery, Madden goes on to say that, "Indeed, the Yankees have plenty of other much safer and cheaper shortstop options until Gregorius comes back – the most logical being moving Gleyber Torres to short and signing a second baseman, like Daniel Murphy, a needed contact hitter who puts the ball in play and could later move over to first base and DH." 

Source: NY Daily News

I don't want Harper or Machado or Murphy.  I'd like to see Torres at short stop for a while and see if we can bring in another young gun from the farm to play second.  Why do we have to think big contracts when we can do well grooming our own team?  Let's hope that this Harper to the Yankees thing is dead and move on to more pressing matters like signing some pitchers to keep the Red Sox and the rest of the league quiet as we rise to the top.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof