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The news has been circulating in baseball this season that Manny Machado wants to be a Yankee. He loved growing up fellow Miami native Alex Rodriguez and would like – like A-Rod – to make himself known to the most historic team in the sport.
Is it true? It never came out publicly, so who knows where the discussions in the game and the reality are.
But if I headed the Yankees, I would know it, especially now that Didi Gregorius may miss at least half of next year because of the need for a Tommy John surgery.
At the beginning of this season, the Yanks are offering the free agent a $ 200 million contract over five years, providing the opportunity to become the first player to make $ 40 million a year on average (with Bryce Harper also, who knows how long last). He will receive additional proposals, probably Phillies, perhaps Cardinals, Braves, Dodgers and others.
But if he really wants to be a Yankee, here is the opportunity. Give him a chance after two years if he wishes and emphasize that even though he was leaving for the full five years, Machado would have another chance to make a free decision after his 30-year season . However, it's the only shot to be a Yankee. At $ 40 million per year. But for five years.
Because here's what the Yankees need to guard against now: an exaggerated reaction after being ousted by the Red Socks at the same time as the problematic revelation that someone as crucial to their chances in 2019 as Gregorius will waste a lot of time. It's a huge double meaning of their psyche and their status.
In the end, however, these decisions are not just those of 2019. The problem if they follow the same path, say, and sign Machado for a 350-year term at $ 350 million, that's what kind of contract that brings him into the old age of baseball with Giancarlo Stanton (which is signed until 2027). And we have seen what happened even to teams with significant resources when they block lists of candidates and a paylist with declining assets.
If a championship could be assured, no problem, you are living with long-term implications. The Yankees signed CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and AJ Burnett for 20 years and $ 423.5 million after the 2008 season and won everything in 2009. That made the situation more bearable when Burnett became a flop and Sabathia and Teixeira experienced health problems and decreased as their contracts got older.
But 2008 is the first time the Yankees have missed the playoffs since 1993. They opened a new stadium in 2009 and Hal Steinbrenner was still in his youth and could argue his criticism if he did not follow the throws of his father. wallet to the problem playbook. This version of Steinbrenner proved that he would not let himself be influenced by such public reproaches. He grew up deliberately. He is moved by reason and not by emotion, enough to know that no movement guarantees a championship. Only contracts are guaranteed – as long as you sign them.
This does not mean that Steinbrenner will not approve an agreement for Machado, but simply that he will not do it because he is overheated by the surprising revelation that Gregorius tore an elbow ligament.
Steinbrenner has had long contracts with Sabathia, Teixeira, A-Rod and Jacoby Ellsbury. It recognizes that these contracts are not just about immediate impact, but about long-term sustainability. Machado is a great bet over five years and a terrible 10 years. You know why? Because each player is a terrible bet of 10 years, because few of them are assets throughout the life of these transactions.
Surprises are always possible. Remember that when the Yankees held their screening meetings during which they gathered all the important evaluators and voices in the system last year, Stanton was no longer a subject to deal with. Heck, it was not really a topic of discussion until they pivoted strongly after failing to secure Shohei Ohtani. The dead season flows without script, who knows what will happen, who will be available?
The Yanks are already grappling with their first shock – the loss of Gregorius, key figure in his two-way impact, from left-handed diversity to their right-heavy roster and the presence of their clubhouse. The Yanks have their scouting meetings at the end of the month and, who knows, maybe there's a swell that's replacing Gregorius with a left-handed stick like Harper's and he's going over to him to play the left field.
But I have never felt love for Harper among Yankee decision makers, certainly not like at Machado, whom they tried to get in July. In addition, the Yanks traded for Stanton in part because they thought the addition of the big contract with the huge contract of the last intersecound season would keep them from undergoing the pressure to sue Harper and Machado this winter.
Again, however, there is no script. Since then, the Red Sox have dominated the Yanks in the regular season and playoffs and now Gregorius is out. Brian Cashman pointed out Friday at his closing press conference in 2018 that the windows were not open forever and that the implicit meaning was that you had to seize the opportunity when it came up.
Well, Machado is there and the Yanks should stop him from playing to open next season and open the third season when Gregorius will be back and decide what to do with Miguel Andujar at that time. But they should only do so if they manage to balance their gains next year without compromising their long-term payroll. So really how Machado wants to become a Yankee.
Enough to take five years to 200 million dollars? Then register it.
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