by Paul Semendinger
October 12, 2023
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I wrote it a lot at the time, and many times since. The Yankees passing on Bryce Harper was a decision that will cost them forever. It was a generational mistake. It was one of the biggest mistakes that the Yankees, as a franchise, ever made.
Bryce Harper would have owned New York. He would have been this generation's Reggie Jackson. He was the one piece that would have made a huge difference.
He was the right player for the right team at the right time. At the exact moment when the Yankees should have gone big, they went small, and they have never recovered.
Just think of the players the Yankees have tried in the outfield as they have attempted to find a player to fill the void that Bryce Harper would have filled. The following players have all appeared as outfielder for the Yankees since 2019 when they did not even make an offer to Bryce Harper to play alongside Aaron Judge and bat in between Judge and Stanton in the lineup:
Brett Gardner
Aaron Hicks
Mike Tauchman
Cameron Maybin
Clint Frazier
Tyler Wade
Thairo Estrada
Gio Urshela
Miguel Andujar
Estevan Florial
Greg Allen
Joey Gallo
Ryan LaMarre
Trey Amburgey
Hoy Park
Andrew Benintendi
Marwin Gonzalez
Oswaldo Cabrera
Tim Locastro
Matt Carpenter
Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Jake Bauers
Billy McKinney
Franchy Cordero
Willie Calhoun
Harrison Bader
Everson Pereira
Jasson Dominguez
Think, also, of the players the Yankees had to trade away to acquire some of those players. Amazing.
***
Bryce Harper could have been doing the following in pinstripes:
