New York Yankees rumors usually are always there about the top players in baseball, as the Yankees willingness to spend money historically, usually makes them a suitor.
In recent years, the Yankees have been very quiet when it comes to signing expensive free agents, as New York has been protecting their prospects, and their wallets.
One of the reasons the Yankees may be saving up their money is for the upcoming 2018-19 free agent class, which has some of the biggest names in baseball in it, including Bryce Harper.
Harper is one of the best baseball players in the majors already at the age of 23-years-old, and he is also coming off of an MVP season with the Washington Nationals.
The price of elite players is going up in free agent, as David Price and Zack Greinke both signed deals worth more than $30 million per season annually, and that is a trend that may continue.
The Yankees have a few big contracts coming off the books before Harper hits free agency, as CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez not being under contract will open up a ton of money for the Yankees to spend.
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the Yankees could have a long-term plan in place to land themselves Harper.
"His age – and the ability to cull prime years from a free agent, a rarity – is as much of a selling point as his ability. And Harper’s transformation from enfant terrible to the most marketable player in baseball by a large margin fits the Yankees’ ethos. Star power matters to the Yankees more than any other team.How much they’re willing to pay for their ideal fit is the question. Presuming Harper plays at a similar level for the next three years, his contract floor will be $400 million – a number, surely, at which the Washington Nationals won’t balk in their efforts to keep Harper in their uniform for his entire career. Their presence creates the prospect of a bidding war, and the idea that Harper skips $400 million altogether and aims for a half-billion-dollar deal is not altogether far-fetched. If that’s the price it takes to ensure he’s in the same lineup as Greg Bird and Aaron Judge and Jorge Mateo and Gary Sanchez, the homegrown core that the Yankees hope will have developed by then, it’s just money, something the Yankees in the past have all but printed."
Harper has been considered the next Mickey Mantle due to his talent at such a young age, and the Yankees appear to be loading up to make sure he is in pinstripes as soon as possible.
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In four seasons, Harper has totaled 97 home runs, 248 RBIs, and a .289 batting average, which are all numbers that are extremely impressive for such a young player.
Everyone has been wondering why the Yankees haven’t been spending money on free agents recently, but if the Yankees are preparing for a big offseason, which includes Harper in a few years, it would make a lot of sense.