Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper is already the subject of intense free agency speculation, even though he doesn't technically exhaust his arbitration years until the winter of 2018-19. However, teams are already lining up their ducks and getting their payrolls hashed out in hopes of landing him on what'll likely be a ten-year contract in excess of $450 million.
Who's got the best chance of bringing him in for a decade? Our pick is the New York Yankees, and here's three reasons why.
1. The Yankees Brand
Let's put it this way -- the Yankees' current three-year "down period" (as people like to call it) would be celebrated as a breakthrough for over half of baseball's other 29 teams. Three winning seasons and a playoff appearance is the stuff Brewers and Twins fans would drool over.
New York hasn't had a losing season since the renomination of George Bush Sr. and Dan "Tomatoe" Quayle (1992). Since then, the Yankees have made 18 of a possible 22 postseasons, won seven AL pennants and five World Series.
Harper's a competitive guy. Sometimes, a little TOO competitive. Some players look indifferent with their team struggles, but Harper isn't one of them and always wears his "must win" heart on his sleeve. More Bryce Harper speculation inside the Chat Sports iPhone and Android apps!
When the 2018 offseason rolls around, Harper's going to have plenty of options at his disposal. Why not hitch your wagon to a mack truck with deep pocketbooks and a proven track record of scaling the Major League Baseball mountain like the Bronx Bombers?
2. Speaking Of Pocketbooks
New York's plan over the past couple of seasons has been clear as day -- excise the weight of hefty veteran contracts currently on the books, reshape and rebuild the farm system, and set themselves up to hand out a few blank checks when big-name free agents hit the market over the next few years.
GM Brian Cashman has been much thriftier as of late, but think of it as a tiger laying dormant in the Serengeti -- sooner rather than later the Yankees are going to shed excess payroll and pounce on the open market in search of marquee talent.
Let's add some emphasis to the word marquee, here. No player is going to hit the market this decade with more name value, box-office power and five-tool talent than Harper. If it seems like the Yankees know that and are waiting to jump into things with a mega-offer of small country GDP proportions, it's because they are.
3. Let's Go Back To The Payroll Situation
New York's current payroll for the 2016 season currently sits at approximately $221 million. As of now, they have 1/4 of that dollar value set to be paid out for the 2019 campaign ($55 million).
The only three players currently under contract past the 2018 season are as follows: SP Masahiro Tanaka, CF Jacoby Ellsbury and SS Starlin Castro.
What about Ellsbury, you say? Here's the thing -- Ellsbury will be in his age-35 season in 2019, with two years left on his deal plus a 2021 option. If his full production returns and plateaus, he'll be a fantastic veteran partner-in-crime for Harper. If not, the Yankees can invest in Harper as the heir apparent.
Either way, the money, big market leverage and historic free-market aggression all lines up in the Yankees' favor.
Heck, New York could even backload a deal to factor in other payroll commitments and waiting out Ellsbury's contract -- giving Harper $25-30 million over the first two years, before pouring things on after 2020. It'd be worth it for a kid who has all five tools you'd want out of the "perfect MLB player," and then some.
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