When a player enters the free agency market the ultimate goal is to sign a deal worth as much as humanly possible – the New York Yankees are often suitors. Reports of a 10-year, $300 million deal for Manny Machado have been one-sided, as in Machado is putting his asking price out there and teams are nibbling but not biting.
The Yankees haven’t officially made an offer to the generational talent, and I wouldn’t expect them to if he’s seeking that type of money. The Bombers brought on Giancarlo Stanton and his massive contract from the Miami Marlins – 13-years, $325 million.
Is it the New York Yankees, Manny Machado, or the MLB that’s dictating the market?
The MLB is an interesting organization, simply because they’re all about making money and not spending it on the players, lowering their market value and in terms not giving them their piece of the pie. Alex Rodriguez stated recently that Major League Baseball is a greedy industry that doesn’t give the players what they deserve. The Yankees have been one of the only teams to spend the money necessary to win and place a value on talent.
But, trading for Stanton has limited their monetary investment in players this offseason. Realistically, they could grab Machado and walk into the sunset, but they’ll be locked into a 8-10-year contract that will likely bite them in the butt down the road. In the short term, they could very likely win a World Series or two with his abilities featuring in the infield and batting order.
Can the Yankees win without the prized free agent?
An argument could be made that the Yankees could win a World Series without him. They already have players like Aaron Judge, Stanton, Gary Sanchez…not to mention their youth stars like Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres. They have the skill to be a playoff team, but they must click on all cylinders. No Greg Bird hitting for .199 as the starting first-baseman, and no Sanchez hitting .186 and allowing 18 passed balls behind the plate.
Injury concerns need to be alleviated and put in the past. This alone is reason for optimism, simply because Bird will be one-year removed from a bothersome foot injury and Sanchez shoulder surgery and two irritating groin injuries.
The Yankees don’t ‘need’ Machado, and if they did, he would likely already be off the market.