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According to one baseball writer, Manny Machado has made up his mind on where he wants to play next season.
Dan Clark, writer for the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, tweeted out that the four time All-Star infielder has decided that he wants to dawn the pinstripes, and will make the announcement early on in 2019. Are you sure about that, Dan?
According to Hector Gomez, the race to sign Manny Machado has come down to two different MLB clubs, being the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox. It is said that the Yankees are not “officially out” on the prized free agent star, but have made it clear to both Machado and his camp that they are unwilling to meet his demands of a $300 million dollar contract. It seems unclear if the Phillies or White Sox are able to meet the demands of one of the biggest free agents on the market, but still seem eager to negotiate with Machado’s agent. Though Machado was informed of the move, the signing of Troy Tulowitzki probably doesn’t help the Yankees of landing the premiere infielder by any means.
The bombers picked up Tulowitzki on a league minimum of $555,000 dollars, as the Toronto Blue Jays will be paying the remainder of $20 million that is owed to the former all-star shortstop this season. The former Rockies’ star has been sidelined with multiple injuries over the past 2 seasons and has not played more than 100 games in a season since 2016. If the Yanks can catch lightning in a bottle with Tulo, however, they can be well on their way to another 100-win season without the likes of Manny Machado in the already coveted Yankees infield, that includes Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres.
Though the signing of Tulowitzki may calm the nerves of some fans, most Yankee fans around the league feel as if they were cheated by Clark’s tweet, that Machado was all but ready to sign on for a stint in the Bronx, saying that he heard from one of Manny’s closest friends/teammates that he had already made up his mind. Given that Clark was the one and only writer who tweeted this out, it isn’t unusual for fans to be optimistic about the claim. However, Clark did provide a source, tweeting out that a former friend/teammate of Machado had spoken to him about the infielder’s ultimate decision.
Though time will tell, whether or not the Yankees are truly out on Manny Machado, as Clark has stuck to his guns, saying that it absurd that rumors are swirling around that he’d sign elsewhere. If this report is indeed true, the Bronx Bombers would have their starting shortstop for Opening Day, as it is expected that Didi Gregorius, a huge part of the Yankees success over the past few seasons, will be out of action for atleast half of the season after receiving Tommy John Surgery on his throwing elbow. This would also mean that the Yanks would have one of (if not the most) dangerous batting orders in the entire league, along the likes of the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.
Also, if this indeed comes to fruition, the Philadelphia Phillies have made it clear that they will be going after the big fish this offseason, meaning that they would strongly target the next big fish in the sea, and that fish’s name is Bryce Harper. With Philadelphia falling short of their man, in Manny Machado, this will make the Phils clear contenders for the left-handed slugger, and may be willing to offer Scott Boras the “stupid money” that they said that they were going to spend.
Both Machado and Harper have been adamant about playing in the Bronx, with both parties stating that they’d prefer New York over Philadelphia. In Harper’s case, however, it doesn’t seem as if Brian Cashman is interested in adding another outfielder to his depth chart.
“At no point all winter have I said I am looking for an outfielder”, Cashman said, when asked about the possibility of landing the Nationals’ franchise star, when he met up with the media at the 2018 Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, NV, also saying, “The Harper stuff … I am surprised you are still asking.’’’
The Yankees seem to have a ton of depth when it comes to their outfield, with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks set to be their three starters come 2019. Cashman also inked veteran, Brett Gardner, to a one-year contract right out of the gate to secure themselves a fourth outfielder. With both Jacoby Ellsbury and Clint Frazier both returning from injuries come Spring Training in Tampa, it seems that the bombers have more than enough help in that area, despite what some fans might think.
It’ll be interesting to see how things play out in the next few weeks, as Manny Machado is believed to be making his announcement sooner rather than later. With Bryce Harper stating where he would prefer to play, does Brian Cashman go back on what he said and form the “fully-operating death star” that he claims the New York Yankees are? With rumors saying that the Yankees are now “out” on Machado, Mr. Cashman doesn’t seem to be backing up this statement that he made in December.
Not too mention, with Clark’s claim that Manny Machado is reportedly on his way to New York, the long and bitter rivalry between the Bombers and Bo-Sox will surely heat up, given Machado’s history with the defending champs. Remember how the fall classic ended?
In just a matter of weeks, the world will find out where the former Orioles’ slugger will land, but until then, Yankees’ fans can begin to anticipate an exciting 2019 season, that will see James Paxton make his pinstripes debut, as well as the return of Giancarlo Stanton, who has gone on record stating that he will be seeing an entirely new player. With a full season with Aaron Judge and a bounce back season from Gary Sanchez, the New York Yankees should be more than okay going into a season where their arch-rival, Boston Red Sox, will be defending their 9th World Series Championship in their club history.
If Machado decides to sign with the bombers, Dan Clark is a genius, sticking to his guns through all the rumors on social media saying otherwise and proving his value as a reliable source in Major League Baseball, however, if Manny takes his ball to the south side of Chicago or to the city of brotherly love, Mr. Clark will have some explaining to do, as his reputation may take a major hit in the process.
