Bryce Harper stands out as one of the most exciting players in Major League Baseball. His elite skill set has placed him on a Hall of Fame career trajectory, and his passion displayed on the diamond brings him to another stratosphere of excitement. With an energy that ignites the field, he has left an undeniable mark on his team. Despite falling short of a championship these past two postseasons, the Philadelphia Phillies have taken center stage during both. They’ve played a fun, exciting, and winning style of ball with Bryce Harper as the nucleus of it all.
If Harper became available and was practically begging to join your squad, signing him would sound like a no-brainer, right? To most clubs it certainly would, but not all.
While Harper has undeniably embraced his move to the City Of Brotherly Love, it’s not a secret that he once had an infatuation with becoming a New York Yankee. In a 2009 interview with Sports Illustrated, Harper gave the following as his career aspirations;
“Be in the Hall of Fame, definitely. Play in the pinstripes. Be considered the greatest baseball player who ever lived. I can’t wait.”
This quote is not the only instance where Harper has expressed his interest in New York, either. He openly admitted to being surprised at the lack of interest from the Yankees in 2019 during his free agency. Even more recently, Harper stated on the Pat McAfee Show he grew up a Yankees fan. His childhood perfectly coincided with the Yankees dynasty of 1996-2003, which saw the Bronx Bombers make the World Series six times. These revelations have already caused New Yorkers severe agita since 2019. Unfortunately, the situation has taken an even more distressing turn this offseason.
Brian Cashman indicated that Bryce Harper isn’t a fit for the #Yankees. Said the team already has six outfielders and that playing Harper at first base isn’t realistic.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) December 10, 2018
Ouch. With Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski announcing that Harper would be moving to first base full-time in 2024, this tweet went from bad to downright embarrassing for the Yankees. Harper is reportedly up for the challenge and completely on board with this positional change. It’s safe to assume he would have been in the Bronx too.
To continue to throw salt in the wound, let us go over those six outfielders that Cashman mentioned, as well.
- Aaron Judge– Okay, this one was fair. Judge is still as elite as ever.
- Giancarlo Stanton– Has only played in approximately 55 percent of games since this tweet. Is also coming off a career-worst 87 OPS+ in 2023.
- Aaron Hicks– Basically booed off the team for years of injury-prone and ineffective play.
- Clint Frazier– DFA’d by the Yankees in 2021 after years of injury and inconsistent play. Has also been unable to catch on with any other team for more than half a season.
- Brett Gardner– Actually did have three productive seasons after this tweet, but would have been better served as a fourth outfielder in his age 35-37 seasons.
- Jacoby Ellsbury– Never suited up for a major league game ever again after this tweet due to recurring injuries, cementing his status as one of the worst acquisitions in Yankees franchise history.
Passing on Harper becoming a regrettable choice was not that hard to predict at the time. The worst part is how with each passing season, it somehow starts to sting even worse. Sorry, Yankees fans. This won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Acquiring another lefty outfielder who used to play for the Washington Nationals could soften the blow, however…
Thanks for reading! For more on Big Blue and New York Sports in general, follow me on Twitter! Keep up with Belly Up Sports on Twitter as well for even more. Keep up to date with MLB on Belly Up Sports for the latest analysis and discussion. Featured image credit: AP Photo/Derik Hamilton
