Following the 2018 season, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were hitting free agency. Both were perfect All-Star fits for the New York Yankees when considering name recognition, ability to deliver in the clutch, and the need for the Bombers to take their roster over the top after an embarrassing elimination at the hands of the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.
Instead? The Yankees cut payroll, traded for James Paxton, and maintained that their group of Miguel Andûjar, Clint Frazier, Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner was enough of a "logjam" to justify passing on two of the most talented players in the game.