Saturday, April 7, 2018

I Love Manny Machado As Much As The Next Guy But…



He just punched his ticket to a team not named the New York Yankees for the 2019 season, at least as it stands here today on this beautiful Saturday morning here on the East coast. What do I mean? Well if you jumped straight into the article and didn’t really give the title of the post much thought you missed a whole lot. To reiterate, I love Manny Machado and the thought of him being in pinstripes for the 2019 season as much as the next person, but I truly think, as it stands today anyway, that he just ended any chance of him coming to the Bronx as anything more than a visiting player with his comments this week about his free agency plans after the season.

Machado dodged many questions about his impending free agency and the possibility of coming to the New York Yankees in 2019 before the Orioles first game in the Bronx on Thursday, but he did touch on one subject in particular that I found to be pretty interesting. I guess Robert Casey, my good friend and owner of Bleeding Yankee Blue, would call this a “nugget.” Machado did not back down about his intentions for the 2019 season and where he intends to play when asked stating that he would be a starting shortstop when the 2019 campaign begins next spring. Unless you have never heard of a Sir named Didi that officially counts the New York Yankees out of the running if you ask me, but that’s only if you ask me.

Machado’s words really puzzle me though if I am being honest. Saying you will be a starting shortstop in 2019 only limits the field of teams you can sign with, does it not? Look at the top 10-15 shortstops in the game and mark their names off the list of potential suitors for Machado’s services next winter, and that includes the New York Yankees who specifically positioned themselves under the luxury tax threshold with the sole intent of going on a spending spree next winter. Maybe I am exaggerating just a tad when I say it was the “only” reason they got under the cap, the money saved, and the penalties levied by the league for various things if you spend over the cap are great reasons to get under the cap, but still. It is widely known the Yankees are very likely to spend, and spend heavily, next winter. It just doesn’t make sense to shrink your market by running your mouth.

A lot can change between now and November or December of this year, but for now you all can start drooling over the 2019 Yankees… just without Manny Machado penciled in at third base. Stay tuned.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)