Manny Machado will reportedly meet with the New York Yankees this week in New York as he continues to feel out his complicated free-agent market.
Confirming what many thought to be true, Manny Machado will meet with the New York Yankees this Wednesday, reports George A. King III of the New York Post. The Yankees apparently had Machado “next on their radar” after signing free-agent left J.A. Happ as the winter meetings concluded, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
It was previously reported by Jon Heyman of Fancred that the Yankees, along with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox, intended to meet with Machado at an undisclosed future date. Heyman, and several other insiders, have cautioned that there are mystery teams that have genuine interest in Machado’s services.
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At the surface, it evidently does not seem surprising that the Yankees are pursuing Machado. Their regular shortstop, Didi Gregorius, recently underwent an unsusual Tommy John surgery. They’ve also been quite active on the infielder market, though this is the most involved we’ve seen them since the offseason began.
Though Brian Cashman, the Yankees general manager, was a little bit unsettled by Machado’s postseason comments about his fundamental lack of hustle, it appears that there desire to have him on their team could outweigh their supposed issues with his style. The length (and salary) of a proposed deal would presumably be the most important part of their proposal, though the White Sox and Phillies could also make convincing cases.
The Yankees will likely continue to sniff out the free agent market, though don’t be surprised if Machado remains at the top of their list until the day that he is signed.