While the New York Yankees seem to be heading into an inter-galactic showdown for either Manny Machado or Bryce Harper, general manager Brian Cashman has affirmed his position on the matter, according to MLB.com.
Just this week Cashman made it clear that Harper wouldn’t fit the bill for the Yankees,especially at first base. The Bombers currently have a solid outfield and are looking to insert a capable hitter at first base, just not a $300 million dollar convert.
Despite Cashman writing off Harper coming to New York, he later stated:
“If something doesn’t make sense today, it doesn’t mean it won’t make sense tomorrow. All I can keep telling you is, you know where my current focuses are, but at the same time we’re a fully operational Death Star.”
The Yankees outfield is currently composed of — Clint Frazier, Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.This is a deep group, and if they can avoid the injury bug, Theybarent capable of big numbers Bringing on Harper would force the Yankees to deal one, if not two outfielders.That would likely put Ellsbury and Frazier on the chopping block.
The move to first would be tough for Harper considering his skill-set is as an outfielder,so thecquedtion is dies Cashman still have faith in Luke Voit and Greg Bird? Voit had a fantastic season at the plate in 2018 and showed he can be a decent fielder as well. I expect Cashman to give Voit and Bird a chance to battle it out in the spring for the starting job.
Infielder Manny Machado seems like the better fit, given he plays third-base. This would put young star Miguel Andujar in purgatory, as he would either be moved to another position, play a reserve role, or traded.
Could the New York Yankees swoop in and make a move on Harper?
If there’s anything I wouldn’t take seriously, it’s the word of Cashman or any Yankees executive.They’re known to play their cards closevto the best, with minimal leaks before a deal is done.
Anything that you hear from reporters should be taken with a grain of salt.As Cashman said,anything can change in a day. Especially if a rival is looking to secure a potential high-profile target.