The rumor mill is running rampage at this point with talk of Manny Machado and the New York Yankees. Reports have surfaced that the Yankees made a “Serious Offer” for Machado. Let’s dig a little deeper into Manny and what he would mean for the Yankees. We also covered the potential of Bryce Harper in the Bronx.
Manny Machado was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles as a shortstop with the third overall pick in the 2010 ML First-Year Amateur Player Draft. Machado has was brought up at the age of 19 and as a third baseman.
Career Numbers
Over his career, Manny has played in 856 games. In that time he as slashed .283/.334/.486 with 161 home runs and 469 rbi’s. Machado has been very durable for the O’s. As he has averaged approximately 157 games a season (when removing his injury year in 2014.) Totaling up Manny’s career hit total he is approaching 1000 career hits and should achieve that mark this season. As his current hit total stands at 973.
Benefits For The Yankees
Manny isn’t just a power threat at the plate. The Bronx Bombers have quite a few of those type of stars on the team already. And in the playoffs that swing and miss “launch angle” style doesn’t always translate to success. Thus having a guy like Manny who can also put the ball in play is invaluable. A .300 hitter is seemingly becoming more and more difficult to find in the MLB.
The other added benefit is that Manny is one of the greatest lockdown defenders at third base. Pairing Machado with Didi Gregorius on the left side of the infield in the Bronx could be a complete shutdown.
Cons For The Yankees
While the addition of Machado would have some benefits it would also have some downside. First and foremost he would be just a two-month rental. And trading away valuable prospects (even with the logjam the Yankees have) wouldn’t be a truly wise investment. The Orioles will surely want a king’s ransom for Manny but the Yankees must be diligent in their negotiations with Baltimore.
Aside from the potential loss of today’s baseball commodity (prospects) the Yankees also risk losing out on the production that they have been receiving from stud rookies like Miguel Andújar and Gleyber Torres. If the Yankees leave Manny at shortstop, that in turn moves Didi to second base Gleyber has no spot. If the Yankees move Manny back to third base (his better position in my opinion) you lose out on Miguel Andújar.
Premium Talent
At the end of the day, all Yankee fans must understand the business aspect of the game. Only 40 men can be protected on the roster. The downside to having so many top prospects in the system is they can’t all be protected. Trading for a generational talent like a Manny Machado will cost. The Yankees, however, are better equipped than most to be able to handle the acquisition.
For anyone keeping track, the Yankees biggest need has been and still remains in the starting rotation. As behind Luis Severino, no one is sure what we will see. But if a top-flight starter isn’t available a packed deal for Machado and Zach Britton may be the next best option in the Bronx.
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