The 2018 MLB Winter Meetings kicked off on Sunday, December 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. While day one was slow going, it was virtually impossible to keep up with all of the rumors and rumblings that have leaked so far.
Make no bones about it, the MLB Winter Meetings are always akin to the Wild West, reckless, chaotic, and flat out outrageous. With rumors and rumblings surfacing in what seems like every minute, you’ll hear about Player A being close to a deal with Team X and Y all at the same time.
It makes you feel like you’re taking “crazy pills,” as Ron Burgundy once so eloquently said.
3 – The Yankees & Manny Machado
Things really started to heat up when Jon Heyman reported that an executive said that Manny Machado will get paid, “but the market is limited.”
The report was immediately followed by New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman stating that the Yanks are unwilling to pay Machado $300MM. They most certainly don’t want to get in to a bidding war for the 26-year old infielder.
Manny Machado to the Yankees seemed almost like a foregone conclusion toward the end of the 2018 postseason. With the Yankees announcing that Didi Gregorious was to undergo Tommy John Surgery, Machado would be the perfect replacement for Didi.
Also, given that Andujar’s defensive performance was so weak last season, a Machado/Gregorious combo at 3B and SS seems almost too good to be true.
Cut to Machado’s “Johnny Hustle” comments, and the rest is history.
The Yankees have not ruled out Manny Machado. In fact, many believe that they’re actively working to drive Machado’s price down. If they succeed, great! If not, there’s an owner out there looking to spend “stupid” money this offseason.