Around 12:30 ET Friday afternoon, YES Network analyst, Jack Curry, confirmed a deal that may be both outstanding and heartbreaking at the exact same time. The New York Yankees have agreed to a 2 Year/$24 Million Dollar Contract with former Rockies All-Star second basemen, D.J. LeMahieu, signifying the end of the pursuit of Manny Machado, as it is more likely now that he will sign elsewhere (presumably in Philadelphia or Chicago). Though many Yankee fans are now realizing that the pursuit of one of baseball’s elite stars is pretty much all but over, LeMahieu will provide the Yankees with depth and versatility in the infield, as it is expected that he will be plugged in a shortstop, second base and first base throughout the course of the 2019 season.
It will be interesting to see how this deal affects the previous signing of shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki, as General Manager Brian Cashman has already stated that the intent was to try Tulowitzki out as the starting shortstop heading into 2019. However, LeMahieu is expected to make much more than Tulowitzki over the next two seasons, so it’ll be interesting to see how things play out in an infield that now consists of Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres, Troy Tulowitzki, D.J. LeMahieu, Luke Voit, Greg Bird and sooner or later, Didi Gregorius.
Tulowitzki and LeMahieu spent time together as teammates when apart of the Colorado Rockies, so it should be to no surprise that Tulo will be more than accepting of the deal and with the potential of platooning playing time. These two men aim to provide the Yankees with a spark that is much needed with the loss of Didi Gregorius, who is expected to be out more than half of the 2019 season, and even when he does return, don’t expect him to be 100%.
As the bombers welcome in the former all-star second baseman, it seems as if they are now saying goodbye to a man that they have been chasing throughout the entire offseason, and a man that Baseball Writer, Dan Clark, reported a number of weeks back, that had already made up his mind in signing with the Yanks, Manny Machado. With the signing of LeMahieu, Machado now holds just two options that have been made public to fans, in the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox.
Over the course of the offseason, Chicago has brought in a couple names that may be very familiar with Machado, in the form of Manny’s brother in law, Yonder Alonso and outfielder, Jon Jay, who is known to be as a good friend of the prized free agent. Some may say that the Sox are “padding the nest” in order to attract Machado’s camp to the south side of Chicago, as Machado has already gone on record stating that he’d prefer New York over Philadelphia (Phillies), who are the only other team in the bidding (as far as we know).
Not only are most Yankee fans saying goodbye to what could have been with Manny Machado in the Bronx, most fans are also saying good riddance to a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, Dan Clark, who tweeted out a number of weeks ago that Manny Machado was on his way to the Bronx, saying that a close friend/teammate of Machado’s had reached out and gave him the news.
Not only has Dan Clark single-handedly provoked the entire nation of Yankee fandom, but he has also made it quite visible that all rumors and hearsay that goes around during the offseason, is just that, rumors and hearsay. Former Yankee, Jim Leyritz, was also quick to jump on the ship, tweeting out that “all but a signature” was needed in order to complete a potential blockbuster trade.
At this stage, one would assume that no deal will be taking seriously until made official, although it probably doesn’t help that Machado was trolling fans in the process, following the YES Network account on Instagram, the official broadcast network of the New York Yankees.
At the end of the day, Manny Machado will most likely not end up in pinstripes, and for some, it is a sigh of relief, as the Yankees will not have to overpay for a slugger who has stated that he is not “Johnny Hustle”, and will no longer dangle Miguel Andujar as a trade piece, for the time being. Given their success in the regular season last year, you can believe that Aaron Boone’s club will once again compete toe-to-toe with the defending world champions all the way down the stretch into late September for the American League East Division Title. With the acquisition of James Paxton and re-signings of CC Sabathia and JA Happ, the bombers’ rotation is looking strong and healthy going into 2019.
Time will tell, if the Red Sox have a hangover season after their 108-win regular season that brought home a World Series Trophy for the 9th time in franchise history, as the Yanks look to capitalize with another monstrous regular season, with the help of their rotation, bullpen, and historically good offense, that consists of-of eight different players who hit over 20 long balls last season, and although Machado will ultimately not end up in pinstripes, one can already assume the Yankees interest in another prized free agent next offseason, who has spent most of his career playing in the same infield as newest Yankee D.J. LeMahieu, in the form of All-Star third baseman, Nolan Arenado.
