New York Yankees: Are Bryce Harper and Manny Machado the future?
The 2019 offseason is still about two years away, but the possible free agents have the New York Yankees already preparing.
The Washington Nationals signed former National League MVP Bryce Harper to a contract extension through the 2018 season. However, that does not change the fact that they are preparing for his departure from Washington following the 2018 season.
Harper will be one of the most sought after free agents in MLB history when the 2019 offseason comes around. But he could end up in pinstripes playing alongside future MLB All-Star Aaron Judge.
The Yankees contracts through the 2019 season are relatively small when we’re talking about the Yankees. The Yankees have two contracts in which they owe a lot of money, Masahiro Tanaka’s seven-year $155 million contract through 2021 (with an opt-out clause following this season) and Jacoby Ellsbury’s 7 year $153 million contract through 2022. However, most Yankees such as Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez are still on rookie contracts or they don’t have very big contracts.
No one can out-bid the Yankees due to the fact that the Yankees are not afraid to give top tier players lots of money, as we have seen in the past with Alex Rodriguez and more recently Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka.
Now we go up the beltway from Washington to Baltimore and visit the possibility of Manny Machado suiting up in pinstripes as early as the 2019 season.
"“I’m sure now when we go to New York, it’s going to be crazy,” Machado recently told the New York Post of the free-agent rumors. “I know there is talk about the future and maybe me, (Yankees catcher) Gary (Sanchez) and Harper being together. That’s New York. That’s what goes on. … You never know what to expect in this game."
Machado just like Harper will be a player that everyone will go after. Machado is a former shortstop turned third baseman just like former Yankee Alex Rodriguez. He is currently one of the best if not the best third baseman in the league and that will allow him to get a big contract anywhere he wants.
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It will be interesting to see how the 2019 offseason plays out. In addition to Harper and Machado, there will be a lot of other talented free agents available that offseason.