The Manny Machado free-agency saga continues, but it appears the chase to land the the super-star infielder may be coming more into focus.
The 26-year-old has fielded serious interest from the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox, among others, but it appears one of those teams might officially be out of the running.
The New York Yankees’ talks with Machado either are “dormant or completely dead,” ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote Sunday.
Instead, the Bronx Bombers seem prepared to stick with Miguel Andujar at third base, with recently-signed Troy Tulowitzki filling in at shortstop for Didi Gregorious. The Yanks also signed DJ LaMahieu to serve as a utility infielder.
“The Yankees have the financial might to outbid all other teams for the services of Manny Machado, an excellent defender who could be a long-term solution at third base for New York,” Olney wrote. “But the Yankees, perhaps leery of taking on another whopper long-term deal, signed Troy Tulowitzki to be a stopgap at shortstop, as Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery, and agreed to terms with DJ LeMahieu to be a superutility player. The Yankees’ talks with Machado are either dormant or completely dead, and unless Machado accepts far less money from the Yankees than he might get elsewhere, Andujar will be back at third base.”
New York seemed, at one point, to be the leading destination for Machado, but it appears now a return to the AL East is unlikely at best.
