Manny Machado will be one of the most sought-after free agents during the Major League Baseball offseason, but could he have hurt his chances of wearing pinstripes with his “Johnny hustle” comments?
There’s no denying Machado is a talented baseball player and he’ll likely have a number of offers from teams around the league. But his comments potentially could come back to haunt him and hurt his chances of signing with one of his potential top suitors: the New York Yankees.
The 26-year-old has been linked to is the Yankees repeatedly this season, and New York reportedly is doing “extensive research” on him. But even all the deep-diving on the infielder won’t erase what he said, and has the team’s managing general partner feeling a little uneasy about committing to Machado.
“If it’s a $300 million guy or a $10 million, clearly those comments are troubling,” Hal Steinbrenner said, via Sports Illustrated’s Jenna West. “But that’s really (general manager Brian Cashman’s) job. If we’re interested in any player, sit down with him face-to-face and ask him, ‘Where did this come from? What was the context around the entire interview? Was there a point you were trying to (make)? How do you justify it?'”
Machado seemed to justify his comments by saying he’ll “never change” while he was playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 2 of the 2018 World Series.
But if he sits down with Cashman to try and sell why he’d be a good fit in the Bronx, he may want to rethink his answer.
