First things first, everyone needs to breathe. Now take a second breath, feeling better yet? Maybe some herbal tea is in order something to relax the nerves as it becomes apparent the New York Yankees will NOT be signing Manny Machado. That’s right folks, Manny may want to be in the Bronx, but apparently the Yankees were not interested at the price tag he required.
Unless the earth tilts off its axis, or maybe the Yankees sign Manny’s third cousin to be the bullpen catcher, Manny will choose dollars over pinstripes.
The New York Yankees need some help…or luck:
I guess if you squint hard enough you could see a scenario where LeMahieu becomes a Ben Zobrist type super-sub, the Yankees end the Tulo experiment before it begins (which might be the case anyway) and they still bring in Manny, but…I doubt it. Like that high school crush you never quite got over, Yankee fans are already missing a player they never had in the first place, maybe in a few years they can have Matt Dillon look him up and see how he’s doing.
In this post apocalyptic wasteland left in Mr.Machados wake the Yankees can possibly trot out a three-time gold glove winning batting champion, two rookie of the year candidates and either Greg Bird or Kevin Maas, I mean Luke Voit at first base.
First base seems to be the Yankee equivalent of drumming for spinal tap, didn’t Dustin Ackley actually spontaneously combust in 2016 in a game? But that’s a discussion for another time.
My point is it’s not like the team is closing its eyes and sprinkling pixie dust over Tyler Wade hoping he’ll become a real boy this season. Plan B is actually something that could result in better campaign than last year. When Didi comes back LeMahieu can shift to third, Andujar to first, and barring Andujar falling into the Springfield Mystery Spot the Yankee infield will be set for the next few years.
Will the Yankees sign more free agents?
What does this mean for the “fully operational death star” for the rest of the offseason? I think they may sign another starter and Adam Ottavino as spring training nears, but that’s not going to move the needle for fans crushed by missing out on Machado.
There is still one big fish floating around though, that the Yankees could sneak in Teixiera style and grab at the last-minute. Bryce Harper in left, with Brett Gardner going into a 4th outfielder/soccer mom type role would still very much be a viable option. The left-handed bat would be a better fit than Manny in the lineup, and while his valleys may be lower his peaks are way higher than Machados.
I’m not sure how you can have too many outfielders when Gardner is old, Frazier missed an entire season from concussions, and Jacoby Ellsbury is….Jacoby Ellsbury.
The Yankees actually played regular season games last year with Shane Robinson (24), Neil Walker (16) ,and Tyler Wade (7). That’s 47 games that Gardner or Frazier could start this year, without factoring off days for regulars. There’s plenty of room in the Yankee outfield for one more player. Hey Mr.Cashman, I have two propositions for you, one is Bryce Harper in left field on opening day, the other is six-minute abs. If you’re not interested in either than please…step into my office.