Remember the days (circa 2015) when the New York Yankees sat quietly while baseball’s best players switched uniforms?
Yeah, those were the days.
The Bronx Brombers reestablished themselves as Major League Baseball’s premier talent-aggregating juggernaut when they traded for superstar outfielder Giancarlo Stanton last weekend. And now they appear to have their sights set on one of MLB’s other signature talents: Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado.
The Chicago White Sox have emerged as the favorites to trade for Machado, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Thursday, citing sources. But, according to Rosenthal, the South Siders’ potential acquisition of the 25-year-old could just be a means to an end.
“The White Sox want to land Machado and sign him long-term before he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, sources said,” Rosenthal wrote. “However, the possibility also exists that the White Sox could flip Machado to another club — most likely the New York Yankees — and secure additional prospects for what already is one of the game’s best farm systems, if not the best.”
That’s right: A lineup featuring Stanton, Machado, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez actually could happen. However, the possibility still remains that Machado ends up somewhere other than New York or Chicago.
“The Orioles, who seek two young, controllable starting pitchers for Machado, also have spoken about their three-time All-Star with the Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals,” Rosenthal wrote, citing sources.
We should note that Baltimore doesn’t intend to trade Machado directly to the Yankees, according to multiple reports suggesting the All-Star third baseman might not fit into New York’s plans.
Yankees have checked in but no expectation Angelos would trade machado to them. They expect to go slow at 3B. Have kid Andujar, will consider Frazier, others.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 14, 2017
That said, we can’t imagine the Bronx Bombers passing up an opportunity to land one of the best young players in the game if it arises.
UPDATE (12:45 p.m. ET):Â The White Sox insist they have no plans to trade Machado elsewhere if they land him, per USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.
The #WhiteSox insist they have no intention to flip Manny Machado if they land him, but also believe other teams have made better offers to #Orioles
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 14, 2017
Chicago still could be bluffing to try to raise Machado’s price tag if he comes to the White Sox. But until Machado moves, that’s all just speculation.
