All the puzzle pieces could be falling into perfect place for the New York Yankees after all in a twisting romance story worthy of the cheesiest writers at Hallmark.
Perfect time for Valentine’s Day, right?
In what has been one of the most excruciatingly slow offseasons in Major League Baseball — one that could contribute to a strike in the next few years — Manny Machado and his suitors continue to leave Yankees fans dangling by the smallest pebble atop the highest cliff.
While they have been considered out of the race for fellow free-agent megastar Bryce Harper for quite some time, the Yankees are still very much in on the Machado hunt, according to a myriad of inconsistent, cryptic, and at times, irresponsible reports.
Granted, the Yankees didn’t make things any easier with their hot-and-cold approach to the 26-year-old All-Star infielder. General manager Brian Cashman made it clear the Yankees were not willing to break the bank on Machado considering he was looking for a $300 million contract over 10 years. They already have the albatross contract of Giancarlo Stanton on their plate and will have to pay the likes of Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres down the road. They also bolstered their infield depth by signing Troy Tulowitzki and DJ LeMahieu, which means signing Machado would add to the log jam in the Bronx.
Like the kid that hung out under the bleacher pining after the head cheerleader, Machado has always kept his eyes on the Yankees, even if they weren’t going to come through with that monster contract.
Interest from the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, and now the San Diego Padres, have offered tantalizing destinations for him, but the almighty dollar hasn’t been there yet:
The Phillies are loading up in a competitive NL East after acquiring Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, and JT Realmuto. Add their big-time interest on Bryce Harper and Philadelphia could become the favorites in the NL East.
The White Sox did everything possible to make Windy City look as attractive as possible for Machado. Their offer is anywhere between $175 million and $250 million and they also spent this offseason acquiring Machado’s brother-in-law, Yonder Alonso, and good friend Jon Jay.
After Rawlings posted photos of his black-and-white gloves on Tuesday, the White Sox suddenly became the favorites for Machado:
Check out Manny Machado’s gloves for this season! Where do you think he is going to play this season? Is the black and white a sign?? #TeamRawlings pic.twitter.com/GO1CNs57UT
— Rawlings Sports (@RawlingsSports) February 12, 2019
The Padres recently emerged as major players in the Machado sweepstakes, but he is unsure of if he wants to play there, per SNY’s Andy Martino.
Yet here are the Yankees, acting like the cool kid standing off to the side acting as though they’re above the chaos. And that tactic might just be working.
Machado grew up a Yankees fan, his wife loves New York City, even his cousin told MLB Network last year that he wants to see him in Pinstripes. Now Martino’s report added that his friends are “pushing” for him to take a short-term deal with the Yankees.
If Machado is having this difficult a time choosing a suitor — especially if it is because of contract terms — that option of a short-term deal around the five-year range, which would still offer a high average annual salary, will only become a more attractive option.
That suddenly might be right in the Yankees’ wheelhouse, who could quickly return Machado’s unrequited love for his childhood team.
