New York Yankees: Smart Move to Pass on Bryce Harper

While everyone is still shocked at the massive deal Bryce Harper got from the Philadelphia Phillies, the baseball world still moves on. While we’re talking about moving on, can we point out how smart it was for the New York Yankees to move on from that deal? A 13-year $330 million dollar contract sounds exactly like what the Yankees would normally pay, shying away from a bidding war was the wisest decision.

First, let’s talk Bryce Harper.

While Harper truly is a unique talent who would have had a ton of upside for the Yankees for years to come, they’ve got fewer holes to fill at the plate than at the mound. While no Yankee hit over .300 average, in last season’s starting lineup only Gary Sanchez(.198), Greg Bird(.199), Brett Gardner(.236), and Aaron Hicks(.248) had a worse average than Harper(.249).

Yes, Harper does have power and last season was his second-best year with 34 home runs. However, his seven-year average is just over 26 per season. Five Yankees accomplished this feat last season. Strikeouts were also up for Harper last season as his 169 K’s would have been only beaten out by Giancarlo Stanton. The one place the Yankees could’ve used Harper’s bat last season was RBI’s. Struggling to get runs across the plate, Bryce’s 100 RBI’s would’ve been greatly appreciated, even if it was his first time accomplishing this milestone.

As sad as it is to miss out on what some people are saying is a “once in a lifetime talent” the Yankees needed a lot more than Harper to get them over the hump.

Yes, they hit 100 wins last season, but not all is to be celebrated. Pitching struggled mightily last season and they’d be wise to make a splash soon. With C.C. Sabathia calling this season his last, they could be hitting a pitching wall sooner than later. Last year J.A Happ, Masahiro Tanaka, and Luis Severino looked like studs for the Yankees, their pitching staff didn’t hold up against the other powerhouse pitching teams late in the season.

If the Yankees miss out on a stud than so be it. From their win in 2000 to the present, the Yankees have won just one World Series to their rival Boston Redsox’ 4 and plenty of money has been spent on bats. If the Yankees want to compete with the rest of the post-season powerhouse teams, letting Harper walk to focus on pitching was the right move to make.