The Bryce Harper Compendium (2015)

[Optics]

Did anyone see his ambiguous comments about becoming a Yankee in 2019?

The only comment I heard was "I love being a National" when some NY clown asked him about his future.

I think the Yankee thing is waaaay overblown. I don't see him signing there. He's a Nat for Life. Calling it now. Or at least, for the entirety of his prime(like a Pujols).

[Five Banners]

And now ESPN is click-baiting 'Insider' stuff from former NYT's Yankee reporter Olney with the title: "Why Harper to the Yanks is Inevitable"

[Tokeydog]

Yankees fans are ready for their Bryce Harper era to begin, as Scott Allen writes.

Every time there is a great young star with another club, the New York Yankees are linked to said player because of the team’s well-established history of spending on great stars. They landed Reggie Jackson and Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson. They bid heavily on Greg Maddux, perhaps offering the most money before he signed with Atlanta. They traded for Alex Rodriguez after the Rangers realized they couldn’t really afford Rodriguez’s record-setting contract and signed CC Sabathia to a $161 million deal, crushing all bidders.

In a lot of cases, the speculation linking the Yankees to someone like Joe Mauer or Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols has turned out to be ridiculous, especially with players so young and so far from reaching free agency.

But Harper-to-the-Yankees is like baseball’s version of a Bush or Clinton running for president: The possibility seems inevitable.

By the end of this season, Harper will have three years, 159 days of service time, meaning that he would be eligible for free agency after the 2018 season, when he’ll be an old man of … 26 years old.

Between now and then, the Yankees will have just a few dollars coming off their payroll.

Alex Rodriguez’s 10-year, $275 million deal expires after the 2017 season.

Mark Teixeira’s eight-year, $180 million deal expires after the 2016 season.

Sabathia’s contract – including the extension agreed to after the 2011 season – will have fully played out, one way or another, by the end of the 2017 season. (He has a complicated vesting option for ’17.)

Additionally: Carlos Beltran’s three-year, $45 million deal will be over after 2016. Brian McCann’s five-year, $85 million will conclude after 2018, unless the Yankees pick up his 2019 option. Chase Headley’s four-year, $52 million deal will end in 2018. Brett Gardner’s four-year, $52 million deal will end in 2018, unless the team picks up an option for 2019. Andrew Miller’s four-year, $36 million ends in 2018.

Assuming that owner Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t dive back into the market for three or four A-Rod type contracts between now and 2018, the Yankees should finally have control of their credit card debt by the time Harper hits the market. By then, Harper’s price could be north of $40 million a year, so long as he stays healthy, and there may not be a player since Jackson more perfectly built for Yankee Stadium – a left-handed slugger who could damage record books driving balls to right field.

Like Jackson, Harper is incredibly marketable because, whether you like his swagger or not, he’s a player you cannot stop watching, which is something the Yankees need in the post-Derek Jeter era.

Harper to the Yankees? Is it possible?

Let’s put it this way: The Washington Nationals, who might have the wealthiest ownership in the sport, will do what it can to keep Harper. Other teams will be interested in talking with Harper if and when he reaches free agency (and almost all Scott Boras clients test the open market).

But any forecaster with any sense of the player and the franchise would tell you: It would be shocking if Harper isn’t wearing a Yankees uniform on Opening Day in 2019.

[Clever]

Toothless conglomerate fluff. The norm out of Bristol. 

[HalfSmokes]

good luck- I don't think he necessarily stays a nat- but I think it's more likely that the Dodgers/Angels/Phillies/Cubs/random other team in a decent market go full retard and offer him something guaranteed to cripple for years than it is that the yankees land him

[Minty Fresh]

Every time I want to hate any other franchise more than I hate the Yankees, I see these types of stories.

freak the Yankees.

[HalfSmokes]

part of me hopes they do sign him to some insane $400 million contract, then have to deal with that albartoss- look at the list of the biggest contracts in baseball, most are either too early to tell or horrific overpays, Jeter's $189 million deal may be the best of the lot

[houston-nat]

part of me hopes they do sign him to some insane $400 million contract, then have to deal with that albartoss- look at the list of the biggest contracts in baseball, most are either too early to tell or horrific overpays, Jeter's $189 million deal may be the best of the lot

Dave Cameron at FanGraphs said recently that he thinks if Harper becomes a free agent and signs with the Yankees or Dodgers, he will get a 15/600 deal. That's six hundred with a six.

Harper becomes a free agent in 2019, at age 27. 4 more years of inflation for player contracts could give us $15 mil per 1 WAR. So Cameron's hypothetical contract would be for 40 WAR from age 27-41 at $15M a pop.

If Harper is a superstar when he hits free agency in a few years, 15 years is a huge overpay (because 15 years is too much for anybody), but 10/400 could potentially be very, very reasonable.

I definitely would not mind if we got Harper for 10/400 and then let him drift to the AL to DH when he's 37. You know, assuming he's great and not injured or disappointing etc.

[HalfSmokes]

at the time the deals are signed people always argue they're reasonable, and they usually appear reasonable - just look at the great deal with got on Zimmerman's $100 million extension. The problem is that there are a lot more Crawford type outcomes than Werths.

[imref]

Two words: josh Hamilton.

[varoadking]

But any forecaster with any sense of the player and the franchise would tell you: It would be shocking if Harper isn’t wearing a Yankees uniform on Opening Day in 2019. 

I would tend to agree...

[Kevrock]

Two words: josh Hamilton.

One word: WRONG

[Optics]

Whatever, I'm not worried about him going to the Yankees. We'll also have a lot of money off our books by then to resign him, and I guess ESPN forgets we're also the team that gave big money to Max Scherzer and Jayson Werth.

I remember when every Knick fan thought they were getting Lebron James. NY fans just think everyone wants to play in NY and nowhere else. Entitled asswipes.

[HalfSmokes]

Whatever, I'm not worried about him going to the Yankees. We'll also have a lot of money off our books by then to resign him, and I guess ESPN forgets we're also the team that gave big money to Max Scherzer and Jayson Werth.

I remember when every Knick fan thought they were getting Lebron James. NY fans just think everyone wants to play in NY and nowhere else. Entitled asswipes.

I remember when Cleveland fans were shocked he left- if he hits free agency, I doubt he stays, not because the Lerners are cheap or because the Yankees have money, but because there will be a lot of teams bidding, and all it takes is one team to decide they need him to make him leave (or not go to NY)

[NatsGirl]

I feel like a lot of people (especially Yanks fans) really overblow the comments Bryce made to SI.  He said he wanted to play in Yankee Stadium (he's done that) and that he wanted to wear pinstripes (easy fix, get on it Nats uniform designers!) 

In all seriousness, I hope he was being genuine when he said he respected players like Cal Ripken who were loyal to one team.  He's got star power and, honestly, I can't think of any other Nat with close to the amount of star power Bryce has.  The team needs him to keep the more casual fans interested and buying tickets.

Luckily all this discussion isn't even relevant since we still have four years left with the guy and who knows what could happen between now and then!

[Dave301]

No.

There were chants, but only from The Bleacher Creatures, who always begin a game by chanting the name of each Yankee starting player. Player waves a glove to them. Otherwise, no chanting.

Some reporter for the Washington Post claims the same Bleacher Creatures were chanting "20 -19". If they were, it was so softly that we could not hear it, directly opposite, in the grandstand above third base. Michael Kay, incidentally, is the Yankee announcer who, in 2001, said, "Oh, Al-fon-zo Sorrr-i-ano!! Every day this young man does something to make you smile, and sometimes laugh right out loud". Soriano also had a habit of swinging at every pitch down the middle but up at the level of his cap. Missed every time.

When a Post reporter quotes Michael Kay, it's like quoting the Party Line from old Pravda. "The glorious worker's paradise of the Soviet Union will assuredly place a cosmonaut on the Moon by 1965 and Mars by 1975!" I can imagine Shirley Povich reaching down to say, "Sources, kid. Didn't you learn by now? Never trust a drunk or a blatherskite."

Mark Zuckerman reported more booing than anything Bryce's first time up to the plate. I guess there was a little of everything there.

[Mr Clean]

Haters crushed, Harper the subject of a rap song: 

[Terpfan76]

Haters crushed, Harper the subject of a rap song: 

Beat me to it

[welch]

A problem with ESPN fantasy article: while money will come off the Yankee payroll by 2019, they spend every year for free agents. If they don't make the playoffs, and if the Mets compete, fans drift away. The current team has one starting player under 30; Gardner might be the next-youngest, and he's 32. Will the Yankees allow the team to crash for three or four seasons just to clear payroll?

[aussienatsfan]

we really have to start negotiating a 10 year deal for this guy, pay him whatever he wants

[UMDNats]

A problem with ESPN fantasy article: while money will come off the Yankee payroll by 2019, they spend every year for free agents. If they don't make the playoffs, and if the Mets compete, fans drift away. The current team has one starting player under 30; Gardner might be the next-youngest, and he's 32. Will the Yankees allow the team to crash for three or four seasons just to clear payroll?

The Yankees' best bullpen arm (and probably the best in the majors) is under 30. Their rotation features 4 guys under 30 (Tanaka, Pineda, Eovaldi, Warren & Nova shortly). By the beginning of 2017 they expect their 3 best hitting prospects (Judge, Bird & Jagielo) to be in the majors and playing roles in RF and 1B. I'm not sold on them being bad the next few years and then blowing big money in free agency. It is possible, but looking at their actions the last 2 years I don't see it. Things can change I guess.

They can easily clear payroll in the next 3 years by letting Sabathia, Rodriguez and Teixeira play out their contracts. That's over $70 million off the books a year right there. They're competing this year, and by the time Harper is a FA, all the big-time money will be off the books, surely replaced by some players (Pineda and Tanaka, Betances possibly, but relievers only get so much). I don't think it's some sure thing that they'll have to punt a few years to let the payroll clear. They've actually set themselves up nicely with their big-money deals the last 2-3 years, except for Beltran. Also the Mets are competing too and are not taking any Yankees fans away.

I think Harper has a good chance to come to New York but also think there is a very good chance he stays in DC.

[WashingtonWizards23]

Bryce harper will go to the highest bidder. Just ask scott boras 

[Jordanz Meatballz]

Can we talk more about how awesome Harper is for us, instead of for three more seasons?

[houston-nat]

Measured by WAR, Bryce is on pace for one of the 15 best seasons by a hitter.

Ever.

[spidernat]

Measured by WAR, Bryce is on pace for one of the 15 best seasons by a hitter.

Ever.

this post belongs in the little victories thread.