LAS VEGAS — If the Bryce Harper sweepstakes is the baseball version of a tour through Willy Wonka's factory, the New York Yankees might have just fallen in a chocolate river.
The Washington Nationals already turned into a giant blueberry or whatever, with owner Mark Lerner saying he doesn't think Harper's returning to the nation's capital after playing the first seven years of his big league career there.
And now the Yankees are perhaps off the tour, as well, with general manager Brian Cashman telling reporters at the Winter Meetings that his team's outfield might just be too crowded, adding that moving Harper to first base (not the first time that's been mentioned this offseason, by the way) isn't an option, either.
How out on Harper are the Yankees? Cashman is apparently surprised it's even still a topic of conversation.
More on Manny Machado in a second, but the Yankees bowing out can only be good news for the White Sox when it comes to Harper. While the rebuilding White Sox have the seemingly tall task of convincing Harper to buy into plans of a bright future on the heels of a 100-loss season, the Yankees seemed to have the best selling point: joining up with a 100-win team that could start a new dynasty tomorrow. Well, maybe the White Sox no longer have to worry about that kind of competition.
Of course, it's not a surprise to hear the Yankees engaged on Machado, who looks like a perfect fit for the Bronx Bombers. Machado could slide in nicely as the starting shortstop while Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery. So the White Sox, also reported to still be in Machado, perhaps haven't completely shaken the Yankees as competition for one of the top players in baseball.
MLB
But when it comes to Harper, the Yankees not being in the running seems to only help the South Siders' chances.
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