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The New York Yankees stayed on the sidelines of the Bryce Harper and Manny Machado sweepstakes this winter and watched two of the best players of their generation sign elsewhere.
After protracted free-agency standoffs, Machado signed with the San Diego Padres for 10 years and $300 million before Harper agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Phillies for 13 years and $330 million.
Meanwhile, the Yanks hung back, acquired left-hander James Paxton in a trade with the Seattle Mariners and made other ancillary moves. But they didn’t open their wallet to ink one—or both—of the best available free agents in recent memory.
It’s the new Yankees way, apparently. And it may come back to haunt them.
Shortstop Didi Gregorius is out until June or later after he underwent Tommy John surgery last year. Starting pitcher Luis Severino and bullpen ace Dellin Betances face shoulder trouble. Outfielder Aaron Hicks is shelved with a back injury. Veteran Brett Gardner, the supposed Plan B at center field, is hitting .143 with a .503 OPS.
Plus, you can add slugger Giancarlo Stanton, New York’s lineup anchor, to the ranks of the hobbled with a biceps strain, per James Wagner of the New York Times.
Mike Tauchman, who is 28 years old and had played 52 MLB games prior to this season, is now an ostensible outfield option. Ouch. A squad with championship aspirations shouldn’t be coming from a place of desperation so soon.
There’s more.
Third baseman and 2018 American League Rookie of the Year runner-up Miguel Andujar may need season-ending shoulder surgery, per Wagner.
They’re dropping like flies in the Bronx. As outfielder Aaron Judge said, per Newsday‘s David Lennon, “Guys have got to step up. Not only the ones in the lineup but the guys coming up to fill those roles.”
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But back to Harper and Machado. New York met with the latter and discussed signing the former to play at first base—an idea deemed “unrealistic,” per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi—during the offseason, but it never made a serious run at either.
“These are two incredibly talented players,” Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner said, per Newsday‘s Anthony Rieber. “We talked about it and discussed it and opinions varied on both players, but I really felt our need if we’re going to go out and spend hundreds of millions of dollars, our need was pitching.”
So the Yankees dealt for Paxton, re-signed veteran lefty CC Sabathia and re-upped southpaw J.A. Happ—all decent moves.
But they play in a gargantuan market, call a top-heavy division home (hello, 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox) and have 27 championship banners flapping in their stadium.
To hoist No. 28, they need to take risks. They need to back up the Brink’s truck.
Harper won NL MVP honors with the Washington Nationals in 2015 but has battled injuries and inconsistency throughout his career. Machado is a superlative all-around player, yet his hustle and drive have been called into question.
However, no player comes without risk. These two superstars are no exception, though the good clearly outweighs the bad by substantial amounts. Risk and all, the Yankees should be kicking themselves even harder over a pair of missed opportunities now that injuries are mounting.
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Once upon a time, the Yanks would cut gaudy checks to marquee free agents and then figure out where to put them. Their most recent spending sprees came in 2009 and 2014. There were sunk costs, to be sure, but the aggressive approach also led to a World Series title in ’09.
Apart from the Red Sox and Houston Astros, this year’s Junior Circuit is a collection of flawed contenders (the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins) plus a few borderline hopefuls and multiple rebuilders.
Had they dug into the war chest, the Yankees’ spending power could have made them invincible. Once upon a time, they would have done exactly that.
Apparently, that time has passed.
The 2019 season is young. Maybe New York’s health woes will be more blip than trend.
Then again, maybe not. Perhaps the Yankees will feel the sting of remorse for failing to sign Harper and/or Machado and become spectators come playoff time.
Maybe the new Yankees way is misguided. Maybe it’s foolish.
Maybe it’s a frugal dead end.
All statistics current as of Tuesday and courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.
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