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What is Josh Harrison's most logical landing spot?

Dylan Buell / Getty Images Sport / Getty

More changes appear to be afoot for the Pittsburgh Pirates. A day after trading Andrew McCutchen for peanuts, Josh Harrison is next to be on the move.

In a heartfelt statement where Harrison professed his love for the city, fans, and team he's known his entire professional career, Harrison made it clear he wants to win a World Series. With the Pirates not expected to contend, it's time for him to be traded as well.

Assuming the Pirates grant his wish and trade him to a contender (sorry San Diego Padres!), it limits the pool of options available. However, there remain a handful of logical locations for Harrison to wind up:

New York Yankees

Following Starlin Castro's departure, the Yankees' second-base situation is a bit tenuous. Ronald Torreyes is the top internal candidate to take the gig to open the season if the Bronx Bombers fail to pull the trigger on another deal. For his 188-game career, Torreyes has hit .282/.313/.376 with four home runs. He's been an empty batting average, destined to bat ninth.

Harrison would be an obvious upgrade at the keystone, while also providing depth for third base in case Miguel Andujar struggles. The best news for Harrison is that the Yankees possess a playoff-ready roster that is already seen as the American League's prime challenger for the Houston Astros' throne. Just picture him in pinstripes.

The return is a mystery, though. Maybe the Pirates are more keen on Clint Frazier in a Harrison deal than they were for McCutchen or maybe not. Still, it'd be in the Yankees' best interest to pull the trigger, as Harrison is under team control for three more seasons on his current contract.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks' infield has a fair amount of depth as is, with Brandon Drury acting as the de facto backup to third baseman Jake Lamb and second baseman Chris Owings.

Like the Yankees, the Diamondbacks have also been linked to Baltimore Orioles infielder Manny Machado. If talks on Machado have stalled permanently, Harrison is a solid second option.

Lamb has palpable power, but he is atrocious when it comes to hitting lefties. For his career, he has hit .159 with 10 home runs and 116 strikeouts in only 358 plate appearances against southpaws. He's played his way into being a platoon option. This might not be such a problem if the NL West wasn't chock full of dominant left-handers from Clayton Kershaw to Madison Bumgarner and beyond.

Harrison would be the best antidote here. He'd be able to play third base whenever they draw a lefty starter (.289 career batting average against lefties) and can slot into second base and outfield depending on the daily need. He could fill a role very similar to the one Ben Zobrist has with the Chicago Cubs.

Milwaukee Brewers

A long shot based on the Brewers being a division rival, but Harrison is an intriguing option in Milwaukee. If current second baseman - and leadoff hitter - Jonathan Villar opens the season as poorly as he played throughout 2017, things aren't going to be easy. Yes, Hernan Perez is still on the roster, but he's only played 28 games at the position over the last two seasons. Harrison is a better option.

If Villar rebounds and they have Harrison in tow, great. That's a wonderful problem to have. The Brew Crew were in the playoff hunt until the bitter end in 2017, finishing only a game out of the second wild-card spot. Harrison is an insurance policy for things going south with Villar and fellow breakout Travis Shaw. With aging, oft-injured outfielder Ryan Braun on the team, Harrison could occasionally relieve him to ease the pressure of the season-long grind.

Boston Red Sox

Keeping pace with the Yankees is going to be a full-time job for the Red Sox. Second-base stalwart Dustin Pedroia is a question mark for opening day, and he's not getting any younger whether he plays or not.

The beauty of Harrison, outside of his extremely reasonable contract, is his versatility. Even if Pedroia is in perfect health and at the top of his game, there's no guarantee that young third baseman Rafael Devers plays to his potential. Just like the scenario in Arizona, Harrison would provide relief at the hot corner while being a right-handed alternative.

New York Mets

The Mets, on paper, might be the best fit, though their path to the postseason is a bit less clear. There are a lot of 'ifs' surrounding their success. If Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto, and Adrian Gonzalez are healthy ... watch out.

Add to this the fact that the Mets seem content on pursuing more free-agent targets than giving up players like outfielder Brandon Nimmo in a potential trade. If they didn't deal Nimmo for McCutchen, what are the chances they pull the trigger for Harrison? They should, but it doesn't seem likely.

A case could be made for the Minnesota Twins or the Philadelphia Phillies assuming they're realistic in their postseason plans. Staying true to Harrison's desires needs to be the priority, and the Pirates must find an appropriate suitor before the end of spring training.

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