If Manny Machado had his way, according to a report, he’d eventually land with the New York Yankees this offseason.
The free agent infielder’s first choice reportedly is the Yankees, but it takes two to tango. If you start to read between the lines, it sounds like the Yankees might be ready to dance.
The two sides reportedly will meet Wednesday as part of the All-Star’s free agency tour, and New York apparently has an ace in the hole. The New York Post confirmed Tuesday the Yankees are hiring former outfielder Carlos Beltran as an adviser to general manager Brian Cashman.
That might seem relatively unimportant, but Beltran’s agent as a player was Dan Lozano who, you guessed it, also represents Machado.
That might not seem like a big deal, and it admittedly seems hard to believe hiring Beltran would push the Yankees across the finish line in acquiring Machado. But it is the latest in an interesting line of developments that point to Machado signing with New York being a real possibility.
As the New York Post also pointed out last month, Alex Rodriguez also is on the Yankees’ payroll as an adviser to the owner. Rodriguez and Machado both share Miami ties, and as the Post’s Joel Sherman pointed out, Machado grew up idolizing Rodriguez.
So, if the Yankees decided to pony up the money in order to sign Machado, you might be wondering where he’ll play. He certainly could spend a good part of his first season playing shortstop as Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery. Upon Gregorius’ return, however, it would make sense for Machado to move to third where he’s played for extended periods of time during his career.
The Yankees already have a third baseman, Miguel Andujar, who finished second behind Shohei Ohtani for American League Rookie of the Year. However, it just so happens there have been rumblings about the Yankees’ openness to moving Andujar in a trade.
“A number of rival executives are convinced the Yankees want to trade Andújar,” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote this week.
So, the Yankees just so happen to be looking to trade one of their best young players just as they get set to play the dating game with Machado? It’s still likely money is Machado’s biggest motivation, but we all know the Yankees have deep pockets and it sure seems like the groundwork already has been laid.
