It seems like every time a young star player comes along in Major League Baseball, some folks start to speculate about how long it will be before the New York Yankees are offering that player mega-millions in free agency. Apparently, Washington Nationals 19-year-old phenom Bryce Harper does not want to be one of those 'future Yankees.'
From the Washington Post:
Before the Nationals played the Yankees in mid-June, Harper told his father, "I don't want to be a Yankee. I want to beat them."
Reality is that it will be many years before Harper could test the free-agent waters, and he is likely to get a rich long-term deal from Washington, anyway.
The other reality is that these are no longer the George Steinbrenner Yankees. Hal Steinbrenner, the new boss, has been emphatic about the team reducing payroll. The Yankees have been more conservative on the free-agent market the last couple of offseasons, and have turned down numerous opportunities to make mega-offers to international free agents like Yu Darvish and Jorge Soler.
So, Harper and the Yankees may never come together. Unless maybe it's in the World Series one day. And that is not really a bad thing.