Boston Red Sox fans might have been put on alert Monday night when The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported the Bronx Bombers had some interest in Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado.
In fact, Rosenthal cited sources saying the Yankees’ interest in the player had recently increased, as Baltimore drags out the process in hopes of maximizing its return in a potential package for the pending free agent.
The Yankees have a loaded farm system and plenty of young talent at the major league level, meaning they could make an offer at least equal to what the reported front-runners — Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers — could offer Baltimore.
But there’s a catch: New York already has a shortstop and a fine one at that in Didi Gregorius. Machado, meanwhile, has no interest in changing positions, even for a contender, according to, well, Machado himself.
Obviously, Machado ultimately could change his mind. Playing somewhere other than shortstop isn’t unfamiliar to the 26-year-old who has played the majority of his career at third base.
For now, though, he seems insistent on being a shortstop, which certainly would favor the Brewers and Dodgers who both have short-term needs at the position. It’s not like Machado has much of a say in the matter, though, but would a team be willing to part with a package of prospects for a player who has no desire to play a different position? Maybe.
Then again, there’s always that whole “Peter Angelos hates the Yankees” thing, too.
