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New York Yankees Rumors: Four potential options for shortstop following the injury to Didi Gregorius

By Paul Ashley

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 8: Didi Gregorius #18 of the New York Yankees throws to first base for the out during Game 3 of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Monday, October 8, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 8: Didi Gregorius #18 of the New York Yankees throws to first base for the out during Game 3 of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Monday, October 8, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA- OCTOBER 05: Manny Machado of the Los Angeles Dodgers points to the sky after hitting a two run home run against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning of game two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday, October 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/Digital First Media/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA- OCTOBER 05: Manny Machado of the Los Angeles Dodgers points to the sky after hitting a two run home run against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning of game two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday, October 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/Digital First Media/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) /

There is a particular free agent to be that has been linked to the New York Yankees for quite some time.  He is currently playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he knows the American League well as the bulk of his career was spent with the Baltimore Orioles.

Manny Machado will enter free agency at only 26-years-old.  Although he has primarily been a third baseman since his debut as a 19-year-old, he shifted to shortstop full-time ahead of the 2018 regular season.  Despite some shaky performances at the position, the Yankees would be more than happy to welcome Machado to the Bronx.

Through 162 regular season games, Machado compiled 37 home runs (HR), 107 runs batted in (RBI), and a .905 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).  His performance earned him a trip to the MLB All-Star game as a representative of the American League.  He was then moved from the Orioles to the Dodgers where he has been a large part of a playoff run in Los Angeles.

Through 66 regular season games with the Dodgers, Machado put together 29 extra base hits (XBH), 42 RBI, and 36 runs scored (R).  This helped the Dodgers to a National League Western division title following a tie-breaking game 163 against the Colorado Rockies.

Thus far in the postseason, Machado has compiled 3 HRs and 9 RBI through 5 postseason games.  This helped the Dodgers defeat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS to advance to the NLCS and it almost helped the team win Game 1 of the NLCS on the road in Milwaukee.

If the Yankees are able to sign Machado during the upcoming offseason, he could start the season at shortstop, with plans of moving over to third base when Gregorius is able to return.  Machado has stated that shortstop is his preferable position, however, as he has spent some time at third base for the Dodgers, he seems to be more focused on winning over playing a specific position.

Although Miguel Andujar was a very important piece of the puzzle for the Yankees last season, he was benched due to his defense in Game 4 of the ALDS.  Due to this, Andujar could be moved to a designated hitter role (with Stanton taking over as the primary left fielder), shifted to first base, or traded to bring in a top-of-the-line starting pitcher.

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