New York Yankees: Should the Yanks even go after Bryce Harper?
By Alex Jordan
The New York Yankees are interested in Washington Nationals MVP outfielder Bryce Harper, who no longer has a beard, but they don’t need him.
Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper shaved his beard before Monday’s double-header against the New York Yankees and people thought that it was a sign that he would be joining the Yankees next year.
So why did Bryce shave? Maybe Mrs. Harper wanted him to get rid of the beard. It’s summer and he might not want to have a beard when its hot out. Or, he got rid of it to get out of the slump he’s currently in.
Whatever the reason, since he shaved before a game against the Yankees, people might have thought that he had been traded to the Yankees. The Yankees do have a clean-shave policy so it makes sense that he would shave if he were to go to the Bronx.
https://twitter.com/itsmrstealyour_/status/1008805166546608128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
So Bryce Harper has played center field in Yankee Stadium, and now he's shaved his beard. This dude is dying to be on the #Yankees, isn't he?
— Chris Scott (@cjscott1193) June 18, 2018
I’m gonna go out on a small limb here.........
— Craig Tucker (@jctucker_3) June 19, 2018
Bryce Harper requested to play centerfield these past few weeks to show the #Yankees he can play multiple spots & it’s obvious he shaved the beard for the #Yankees the more i read things the more I believe he wants to be a Yankee
Harper has been struggling since late May. Missing pitches and strikeouts are his biggest problem right now.
He is currently hitting a career-worst .212 with 72 strikeouts, 19 home runs, 43 RBIs, and a .351 OBP. However, the Nationals think that Harper’s slump will end soon.
“I watch him and he gets a little frustrated,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told Jamal Collier of MLB.com. “The biggest thing is just to keep him level-headed and let him go out there and do his thing. I’ve said this before, he’s one of the best players in the game. He’s going to carry us, I know he is.”
The Nationals’ star will become a free agent after this season. The Yankees are one team that Harper is being linked to, but should they go after him?
The answer is no. They shouldn’t go after him because they don’t need him. While Harper would be another star for the Yankees, they have no room for him with a star-studded outfield that includes Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
The Yankees also have stars in the minors who are working their way up to the majors.
If Harper leaves the Nationals, then rookie sensation Juan Soto, who is hitting .321 with six home runs and 14 RBIs, could be his replacement. Soto hit a home run in the continued game and went 2-4 in the second game on Monday.
“A lot of people tell me, ‘Hey, you’re killing the Yankees,'” Soto told Eddie Matz of ESPN. “Everybody knows the Yankees, likes the Yankees. That feels pretty good.”
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While Bryce Harper is beardless right now, the Yankees shouldn’t chase him because they don’t need him.