They're at least going over the tax, it would seem, and have spent some money this offseason. Not as much as I'd have liked, or at least on the right players IMO. But I saw Axisa make the point that the Dodgers have been remarkably cheap, the Cubs have not done a thing this offseason when they have a glaring need for a bat like Harper. Even Boston was exploring the idea of shopping some of their arb-eligible guys. Not to mention all of the "tanking" teams. Franchises make more money than ever but so many teams are cutting payroll and/or not actively trying to win. It's not good.
They're at least going over the tax, it would seem, and have spent some money this offseason. Not as much as I'd have liked, or at least on the right players IMO. But I saw Axisa make the point that the Dodgers have been remarkably cheap, the Cubs have not done a thing this offseason when they have a glaring need for a bat like Harper. Even Boston was exploring the idea of shopping some of their arb-eligible guys. Not to mention all of the "tanking" teams. Franchises make more money than ever but so many teams are cutting payroll and/or not actively trying to win. It's not good.
Baseball will never contract, but it wouldnt be a bad idea. Tampa won 90 games and their own players even know their fans dont give a shit. Oakland, if they cant build a new park, isnt long term viable.
MLBPA priority will be getting rid of the luxury tax...
it has functioned like something approximating a cap for the last couple years. Teams have busted through it, but nobody ignores it in the way that the Yankees used to ignore the old threshold.
to start, but I think they'd do better to attack more heavily from the other side. The real problem is the teams on the bottom end spending absolutely nothing.
but the steady inflation of salaries had much to do with the top of the spending scale.
The arb awards and negotiations have been curious though, clearly trending upward this year. That may have a lot to do with bridging the gap than any of the more publicized moves.
for these big free agents and big contracts, they might be playing the long game, using Stanton as their example (and ARod too really). Rather than giving out an 8 year deal, they will just wait out a Machado or Harper type, where inevitably the team that signs them will want out of their deal. So the Yankees bide their time, wait out 3 or so years, and then swoop in where they will absorb the rest of the contract with the original team throwing in money.
I think the Yankees are still hurting from the Ellsbury deal (which at the time I thought was stupid as hell and was a clear over reaction signing after losing Cano). Machado and Harper are not coming to the Bronx. They will sign another reliever like an Ottavino and trade Gray for prospects/ salary relief and get ready for Spring Training.
for these big free agents and big contracts, they might be playing the long game, using Stanton as their example (and ARod too really). Rather than giving out an 8 year deal, they will just wait out a Machado or Harper type, where inevitably the team that signs them will want out of their deal. So the Yankees bide their time, wait out 3 or so years, and then swoop in where they will absorb the rest of the contract with the original team throwing in money.
I think the Yankees are still hurting from the Ellsbury deal (which at the time I thought was stupid as hell and was a clear over reaction signing after losing Cano). Machado and Harper are not coming to the Bronx. They will sign another reliever like an Ottavino and trade Gray for prospects/ salary relief and get ready for Spring Training.
I can definitely see what you're saying happen, Matt - but is that a good thing?
His best years would probably be the next 3-5. If the Yankees take him on the back end of the deal with some money, all they're doing is getting a discount on the decline. You could make the argument that they're better off going the other way around, signing him now and then trading him in 3-4 years.
for these big free agents and big contracts, they might be playing the long game, using Stanton as their example (and ARod too really). Rather than giving out an 8 year deal, they will just wait out a Machado or Harper type, where inevitably the team that signs them will want out of their deal. So the Yankees bide their time, wait out 3 or so years, and then swoop in where they will absorb the rest of the contract with the original team throwing in money.
I think the Yankees are still hurting from the Ellsbury deal (which at the time I thought was stupid as hell and was a clear over reaction signing after losing Cano). Machado and Harper are not coming to the Bronx. They will sign another reliever like an Ottavino and trade Gray for prospects/ salary relief and get ready for Spring Training.
I can definitely see what you're saying happen, Matt - but is that a good thing?
His best years would probably be the next 3-5. If the Yankees take him on the back end of the deal with some money, all they're doing is getting a discount on the decline. You could make the argument that they're better off going the other way around, signing him now and then trading him in 3-4 years.
Plus the Yanks window is open right now. Nobody has any idea what 3+ years will have in store for this franchise. With all the hype surrounding especially Machado, for this to have gotten to the point where the Yanks are possibly not even offering him a 7 year deal is pretty mind blowing
Prime years for hitter are generally described as 27-31
Those are Machado's next five seasons. Even assuming a decline after age 31, unless he FALLS completely off a cliff you're still going to get good production from him. To not even offer an eight year deal is a joke.
But hey, we've got DJ LeMahieu so the sky's the limit.
RE: RE: RE: What we've seen from the Yankees is that
for these big free agents and big contracts, they might be playing the long game, using Stanton as their example (and ARod too really). Rather than giving out an 8 year deal, they will just wait out a Machado or Harper type, where inevitably the team that signs them will want out of their deal. So the Yankees bide their time, wait out 3 or so years, and then swoop in where they will absorb the rest of the contract with the original team throwing in money.
I think the Yankees are still hurting from the Ellsbury deal (which at the time I thought was stupid as hell and was a clear over reaction signing after losing Cano). Machado and Harper are not coming to the Bronx. They will sign another reliever like an Ottavino and trade Gray for prospects/ salary relief and get ready for Spring Training.
I can definitely see what you're saying happen, Matt - but is that a good thing?
His best years would probably be the next 3-5. If the Yankees take him on the back end of the deal with some money, all they're doing is getting a discount on the decline. You could make the argument that they're better off going the other way around, signing him now and then trading him in 3-4 years.
Plus the Yanks window is open right now. Nobody has any idea what 3+ years will have in store for this franchise. With all the hype surrounding especially Machado, for this to have gotten to the point where the Yanks are possibly not even offering him a 7 year deal is pretty mind blowing
I think this is a terrible idea, but one which this front office seems to embrace. They don't want to sign long term deals without having the proper outs and hedging on AAV.
The message I get for now is that if the Yankees aren't going in to sign a Machado or Harper, they simply are not going to be involved in any big free agent in the future. If you don't sign a guy in their mid 20s who are proven all stars entering their prime to long term deals, they aren't going to sign anyone. So they way they will land them is to wait out the contract and get them later at a lower cost.
I wonder if Andujar's trade value has something to do with the Yankees
reluctance to seriously engage Machado. There were reports from reputable guys like Ken Rosenthal that they were at least exploring what they could get and then there were the Syndergaar 3 team deal rumblings too. Maybe they saw that the rest of the league didn't value Andujar as highly as they do and didn't feel like Machado could play SS at a high enough level to warrant the contract he'll get?
RE: I wonder if Andujar's trade value has something to do with the Yankees
reluctance to seriously engage Machado. There were reports from reputable guys like Ken Rosenthal that they were at least exploring what they could get and then there were the Syndergaar 3 team deal rumblings too. Maybe they saw that the rest of the league didn't value Andujar as highly as they do and didn't feel like Machado could play SS at a high enough level to warrant the contract he'll get?
Doubt it, they wouldn't let Andujar's trade value dictate signing Machado. I think the Yankees have drawn a line in the sand for contract years/AAV and they aren't going to deviate from it. They are going to stick to a budget and it is what it is with Hal now. He's not his father. George would have traded for Verlander 2 years ago. No question. The Yankees passed saying his contract would impact what they would do to get under the luxury tax. In hindsight that was a bad move. But one which most Yankee fans would swallow thinking that would lend to being active to get Machado or Harper. It's not turned out that way.
RE: RE: I wonder if Andujar's trade value has something to do with the Yankees
reluctance to seriously engage Machado. There were reports from reputable guys like Ken Rosenthal that they were at least exploring what they could get and then there were the Syndergaar 3 team deal rumblings too. Maybe they saw that the rest of the league didn't value Andujar as highly as they do and didn't feel like Machado could play SS at a high enough level to warrant the contract he'll get?
Doubt it, they wouldn't let Andujar's trade value dictate signing Machado. I think the Yankees have drawn a line in the sand for contract years/AAV and they aren't going to deviate from it. They are going to stick to a budget and it is what it is with Hal now. He's not his father. George would have traded for Verlander 2 years ago. No question. The Yankees passed saying his contract would impact what they would do to get under the luxury tax. In hindsight that was a bad move. But one which most Yankee fans would swallow thinking that would lend to being active to get Machado or Harper. It's not turned out that way.
That's what I thought too until the reports that the Phillies are the favorite for Harper and the numbers on the White Sox offer for Machado. They couldn't possibly have thought that something meaningfully less than 7 yrs for ~$25-30M/yr could get it done, right? And yet, by all accounts and their actions it seems they've already moved on.
at least not this offseason. The guy absolutely killed it as a rookie, maybe the team's best offensive player over the course of the season. His defense needs work, no doubt, but unless you're getting back a bona fide ace why would you deal 5 years of team control to sign a guy making $30+ mil? They could have signed Manny to play SS and then made a decision on Didi and/or Andujar at a later date.
at least not this offseason. The guy absolutely killed it as a rookie, maybe the team's best offensive player over the course of the season. His defense needs work, no doubt, but unless you're getting back a bona fide ace why would you deal 5 years of team control to sign a guy making $30+ mil? They could have signed Manny to play SS and then made a decision on Didi and/or Andujar at a later date.
This is what I would've done fwiw. Syndergaard was the only name floated so maybe they thought they could get someone in that/Kluber's category. Would've made for one hell of an offseason.
I will say this -- he's been spot on in regards to the Yankees this offseason and was at the deadline as well (hence why I follow him) but he's such an irritable guy.
The Yanks may honestly just really like Miggy and want to stick with him. Machado really doesn't work at this point unless Andujar is dealt - and perhaps there's just not a good/favorable match out there.
I also think NYY may want to keep Didi here beyond 2019.
Didi was a 4.2 bWAR player in 2019 and he missed around 30 games and it's not going to cost $280 million dollars and a 7-8 year commit to keep him.
I'd be the last guy complaining if the Yanks signed Machado - but the more and more I think about it, the more I feel like the cost isn't going to justify the difference.
Sure, if you move Andujar for someone like Kluber and then turn around and put Machado @ 3B, it absolutely moves the needle. But there's no guarantee that CLE is even willing to do something like that and I'm guessing we'd need to send more than just Andujar - so perhaps that's not a road the Yanks even want to go down themselves.
The lineup really isn't the problem - the starting pitching had to be better than it was. Paxton was a great acquisition - now we need Severino to find his first half mojo. I'd still be interested in Keuchel, honestly - the market seems cool on him and he might not be terribly expensive.
If not - Jordan Montgomery may re-enter the picture later in the year (I think - I have to re-check his timetable) - Loaisaga and Adams are still floating around. I'm hoping they can carve out a niche for German with that nasty high-whiff rate stuff he's got.
If we had a gaping hole @ 3B or in RF and just didn't seem interested in Machado or Harper, I'd be annoyed. But the truth is that neither guy is really a great "fit" right now. I know when it's a generational player, you don't let that stop you - but I'm not sure Machado is even a "generational" player. Harper has that ceiling - I don't think Machado really does, but that's semantics, he's obviously a tremendous talent.
I don't know - the more I think about it, the more I think I'm okay with letting CHW ink Machado to some mega deal if they want.
from Machado's camp that the highest bidder gets him and there is no discount for NYY or anyone.
Basically just telling the Yanks --- when you try to pounce at the last second here, come in equal to the best existing offer and not lower.
Posturing, and probably not worthy of the dramatic tease tweet from Martino, but that's him.
Hang on...you are telling me a top young free agent in baseball will go to the team who will offer him the most money? Can they get someone else to verify this? This is unchartered territory.
I will say this -- he's been spot on in regards to the Yankees this offseason and was at the deadline as well (hence why I follow him) but he's such an irritable guy.
Agree, he is turning into another blowhard.
RE: RE: Is there any reporter more insufferable than Andy Martino?
I will say this -- he's been spot on in regards to the Yankees this offseason and was at the deadline as well (hence why I follow him) but he's such an irritable guy.
Agree, he is turning into another blowhard.
Maybe he was not allowed access to a Yankee press conference earlier in his career. That's all I can think of when it comes to him and the Yankees. He use to be on Daily New Live a lot and would always take a negative spin on the Yankees.
Troy Tulowitski is currently our opening day SS. I respect the line of thinking, but how can you say there is no spot for Machado when he's shown he can play that position respectably with LA? Not to mention Andujar's future at 3B being far from certain even if we do keep him, and Didi is in a walk year.
Won't even get into Harper, as there's somehow been no interest shown. But LF and 1B are huge question marks where he may have fit. There are holes in this lineup and defense. Remember the offense didn't exactly show out in the playoff loss either despite focus being on the pitching. I've got to disagree that there was no opening for either. And if you believe in WAR as a metric, Machado absolutely is a generational SS/3B, as outlined previously in this thread
Troy Tulowitski is currently our opening day SS. I respect the line of thinking, but how can you say there is no spot for Machado when he's shown he can play that position respectably with LA? Not to mention Andujar's future at 3B being far from certain even if we do keep him, and Didi is in a walk year.
Won't even get into Harper, as there's somehow been no interest shown. But LF and 1B are huge question marks where he may have fit. There are holes in this lineup and defense. Remember the offense didn't exactly show out in the playoff loss either despite focus being on the pitching. I've got to disagree that there was no opening for either. And if you believe in WAR as a metric, Machado absolutely is a generational SS/3B, as outlined previously in this thread
Because Didi isn't expected to miss the entire year and I'm starting to think they may be planning on keeping him beyond 2019. If that's the case, where is Machado going to play?
Machado was a negative defender @ SS in Baltimore last year and thats where he's going to be playing if he signs here. That's not generational. He has to play 3B to maximize his value, and we can't play him there on this team unless we trade Andujar.
Perhaps there's not a good match, or the Yanks aren't willing to give up on a RoY snub who hit .297 and clubbed 27 HR's in his first full season.
Tulo isn't meant to be a long-term option @ SS. If he gets hurt again, they'll be able to fill the gap temporarily with someone like Wade or they can look to pursue an all glove option like Hechavarria who is still a FA to make the left side less vulnerable.
As for the bats - the DS sample size is just too small. It's a 4 game sample size. And we scored 7 runs in the play-in against OAK.
You can find a bad offensive 4 game stretch for any team in the league in any given season. It's just the nature of the sport. We couldn't get hits when we needed them and had RISP. I am not going to let those 4 games convince me that the NYY offense isn't enough when only 3 teams were more productive through the course of the 162 game regular season.
immediately improved once he got to LA where he was an above average defender. There's enough evidence at this point through what we've heard from players after leaving Baltimore that management does not have a clue what they're doing, analytics are generally scoffed at, and they do not put their players in the best positions to be successful.
Didi is out until July or August and is having a major surgery on his throwing elbow and will be 30 years old during his free agency. I love the guy, but he is hardly a sure thing moving forward.
But the main point in all of this is I just do not have the same confidence that Andujar can stick at 3B that you seem to have. I don't want to trade him, but I think his position destiny is elsewhere. And in that case, there's your spot for Machado while keeping Didi. In the meantime they could have played together with Didi out. The pitching was a bigger priority but the options to improve it significantly were not out there. I wish we would have loaded up the lineup in lieu of that. Tulo, Tyler Wade, Hechevaria? Come on now.
Machado camp floating the 8-year offer rumor from White Sox...
...as one last attempt to get the Phillies to up their offer. And the Phillies are trying to make it look like they are the front-runner on Harper in order to get Machado to shit or get off the pot (and by pot, I don't mean weed, he can stay on the weed for as long as he likes). When the smoke clears it will be Machado to Phillies and Harper to Yankees.
Some of Machado's defensive value in LA is misleading - he still played nearly 150 innings @ 3B and we're dealing with less than half a season's worth of sample size.
He is much, much better @ 3B than he is @ SS. He's really not a SS - he's played like 3-4x as many games @ 3B than he has SS.
I don't think anyone should sign him expecting him to be a full time SS. The value diminishes. He's got to be able to play @ 3rd, IMO. At least for the most part.
TJS is different for position players. Torres didn't show any real ill effects from it and I doubt Didi will, either.
For Machado to make sense, NYY has to move Andujar IMO. It's really as simple as that - and right now, they don't seem too eager to do that.
The reporters/bloggers are being fed info by agents with an agenda. And they post it because they want the clicks.
p.s.--remember the reports back in December that Machado had offers on the table from Chicago, Philly, and the Yankees and he was going to use the holidays to mull it over and then announce his decision after the new year.
We have enough power and run production where we can afford to put a glove-first SS next to Andujar - we don't need every guy in the lineup to be a 30 HR hitter. Defense matters, too.
If you want to move Andujar off 3B, that's fine - but where is he going? It's so much easier said than done. Not every guy can just be stuck @ 1B - and with Voit and Bird in the fold, 1B isn't really an option anyway right now.
The only viable option right now is to play Stanton more in the OF and use the DH spot for Miggy.
I think the offense will be fine as-is until Didi is back. We scored more runs than every team in baseball not named the Boston Red Sox and that was with our best offensive player missing 50 games.
he's a better 3B than SS. But I think he's good enough at SS and ultimately Andujar is likely to move off 3B anyway. The sample at SS in Baltimore isn't exactly that large either. I get what you're saying, he might not play his best position right away here. But it's still better than what we'll be working with.
Just a note, Torres had TJ on his non-throwing elbow. Didi on his throwing elbow. It's not insignificant and given the way management has operated, I think it's more likely they let him walk than re-sign him long term.
but he shouldn't stand in the way of them trying to upgrade at 1B. And Bird is a non-entity until he proves otherwise. If he has options left, he should start the season at AAA.
I guess I just don't see the desperation or why we need Machado so badly. We scored a ton of runs, we have a ton of power. How much is he going to move the needle?
If we're going to spend more money or look to make additional acquisitions, I'd want them to be pitchers.
I think the season the Red Sox had is actually causing people to misread the Yanks.
Forget Voit and Bird - we can't just assume that Andjuar is going to be a good 1B is the point. You can't just stick anyone over there and be good to go. It might just not be a spot he's comfortable in.
Andujar has literally played zero innings at first base in both the minors and majors. We're just going to throw him over there and pray? I don't see it.
though I'd take either. I had hoped Harper playing some LF and some 1B would be the move. Agree that 1B isn't as easy as some seem to think. But Voit is pretty bad defensively. It couldn't be much worse.
.
remember the reports back in December that Machado had offers on the table from Chicago, Philly, and the Yankees and he was going to use the holidays to mull it over and then announce his decision after the new year.
There was only one report to that effect and it came from some guy in Australia trying to make a name for himself.
The way google works, just about anybody can get their fifteen minutes of fame by landing at the top of a "Manny Machado" news search.
In response to skepticism, this gentleman said he would delete his twitter account if wrong and, to his credit, he seems to be backing that up.
Quote:
Dan Clark
Verified account @DanClarkSports
Jan 11
Just closing the loop on this - I lost the bet! Machado's signing hasn't been announced but looks like I was wrong. I trusted my source and it backfired. That's completely on me - idiot! Wasn't trolling #Yankees fans - I apologize and wish you well! Will deactivate shortly. Ciao!
The more I think about this my guess is neither, but from a fit/upgrade point of view Harper makes more sense. IF:
The hours per day Andujar is reported to be practicing for weeks in Tampa is giving the Yankees a sense that sticking with Andujar gives them an average defender in 1-3 years and a great hitter. And if not, an offense so good a move to another position is called for before a trade.
I mean the guy did break rookie records held by Joe DiMaggio
Alfraro
Hoskins
Hernandez
Segura
Franco
Harper
Quinn/Herrera
McCutchen
Bam!
What a bunch of BS.
The arb awards and negotiations have been curious though, clearly trending upward this year. That may have a lot to do with bridging the gap than any of the more publicized moves.
I think the Yankees are still hurting from the Ellsbury deal (which at the time I thought was stupid as hell and was a clear over reaction signing after losing Cano). Machado and Harper are not coming to the Bronx. They will sign another reliever like an Ottavino and trade Gray for prospects/ salary relief and get ready for Spring Training.
I'm still holding out hope, as bleak as the chances may seem.
I thought they weren't with room to spare..but maybe I'm wrong.
I thought they weren't with room to spare..but maybe I'm wrong.
they are pretty easily over when you factor in even the most conservative arbitration estimates.
Quote:
are the Yankees over the luxury cap?
I thought they weren't with room to spare..but maybe I'm wrong.
they are pretty easily over when you factor in even the most conservative arbitration estimates.
They are over the cap, but will probably get back closer or under when they trade off Sonny Gray and his $7.5 million.
They squandered money signing guys like Gardner and CC.
I think the Yankees are still hurting from the Ellsbury deal (which at the time I thought was stupid as hell and was a clear over reaction signing after losing Cano). Machado and Harper are not coming to the Bronx. They will sign another reliever like an Ottavino and trade Gray for prospects/ salary relief and get ready for Spring Training.
I can definitely see what you're saying happen, Matt - but is that a good thing?
His best years would probably be the next 3-5. If the Yankees take him on the back end of the deal with some money, all they're doing is getting a discount on the decline. You could make the argument that they're better off going the other way around, signing him now and then trading him in 3-4 years.
Quote:
for these big free agents and big contracts, they might be playing the long game, using Stanton as their example (and ARod too really). Rather than giving out an 8 year deal, they will just wait out a Machado or Harper type, where inevitably the team that signs them will want out of their deal. So the Yankees bide their time, wait out 3 or so years, and then swoop in where they will absorb the rest of the contract with the original team throwing in money.
I think the Yankees are still hurting from the Ellsbury deal (which at the time I thought was stupid as hell and was a clear over reaction signing after losing Cano). Machado and Harper are not coming to the Bronx. They will sign another reliever like an Ottavino and trade Gray for prospects/ salary relief and get ready for Spring Training.
I can definitely see what you're saying happen, Matt - but is that a good thing?
His best years would probably be the next 3-5. If the Yankees take him on the back end of the deal with some money, all they're doing is getting a discount on the decline. You could make the argument that they're better off going the other way around, signing him now and then trading him in 3-4 years.
But hey, we've got DJ LeMahieu so the sky's the limit.
Quote:
In comment 14262630 Matt in SGS said:
Quote:
for these big free agents and big contracts, they might be playing the long game, using Stanton as their example (and ARod too really). Rather than giving out an 8 year deal, they will just wait out a Machado or Harper type, where inevitably the team that signs them will want out of their deal. So the Yankees bide their time, wait out 3 or so years, and then swoop in where they will absorb the rest of the contract with the original team throwing in money.
I think the Yankees are still hurting from the Ellsbury deal (which at the time I thought was stupid as hell and was a clear over reaction signing after losing Cano). Machado and Harper are not coming to the Bronx. They will sign another reliever like an Ottavino and trade Gray for prospects/ salary relief and get ready for Spring Training.
I can definitely see what you're saying happen, Matt - but is that a good thing?
His best years would probably be the next 3-5. If the Yankees take him on the back end of the deal with some money, all they're doing is getting a discount on the decline. You could make the argument that they're better off going the other way around, signing him now and then trading him in 3-4 years.
Plus the Yanks window is open right now. Nobody has any idea what 3+ years will have in store for this franchise. With all the hype surrounding especially Machado, for this to have gotten to the point where the Yanks are possibly not even offering him a 7 year deal is pretty mind blowing
I think this is a terrible idea, but one which this front office seems to embrace. They don't want to sign long term deals without having the proper outs and hedging on AAV.
The message I get for now is that if the Yankees aren't going in to sign a Machado or Harper, they simply are not going to be involved in any big free agent in the future. If you don't sign a guy in their mid 20s who are proven all stars entering their prime to long term deals, they aren't going to sign anyone. So they way they will land them is to wait out the contract and get them later at a lower cost.
Doubt it, they wouldn't let Andujar's trade value dictate signing Machado. I think the Yankees have drawn a line in the sand for contract years/AAV and they aren't going to deviate from it. They are going to stick to a budget and it is what it is with Hal now. He's not his father. George would have traded for Verlander 2 years ago. No question. The Yankees passed saying his contract would impact what they would do to get under the luxury tax. In hindsight that was a bad move. But one which most Yankee fans would swallow thinking that would lend to being active to get Machado or Harper. It's not turned out that way.
Quote:
reluctance to seriously engage Machado. There were reports from reputable guys like Ken Rosenthal that they were at least exploring what they could get and then there were the Syndergaar 3 team deal rumblings too. Maybe they saw that the rest of the league didn't value Andujar as highly as they do and didn't feel like Machado could play SS at a high enough level to warrant the contract he'll get?
Doubt it, they wouldn't let Andujar's trade value dictate signing Machado. I think the Yankees have drawn a line in the sand for contract years/AAV and they aren't going to deviate from it. They are going to stick to a budget and it is what it is with Hal now. He's not his father. George would have traded for Verlander 2 years ago. No question. The Yankees passed saying his contract would impact what they would do to get under the luxury tax. In hindsight that was a bad move. But one which most Yankee fans would swallow thinking that would lend to being active to get Machado or Harper. It's not turned out that way.
That's what I thought too until the reports that the Phillies are the favorite for Harper and the numbers on the White Sox offer for Machado. They couldn't possibly have thought that something meaningfully less than 7 yrs for ~$25-30M/yr could get it done, right? And yet, by all accounts and their actions it seems they've already moved on.
This is what I would've done fwiw. Syndergaard was the only name floated so maybe they thought they could get someone in that/Kluber's category. Would've made for one hell of an offseason.
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More bad news for Yankees fans who want Machado coming shortly ...
I also think NYY may want to keep Didi here beyond 2019.
Didi was a 4.2 bWAR player in 2019 and he missed around 30 games and it's not going to cost $280 million dollars and a 7-8 year commit to keep him.
I'd be the last guy complaining if the Yanks signed Machado - but the more and more I think about it, the more I feel like the cost isn't going to justify the difference.
Sure, if you move Andujar for someone like Kluber and then turn around and put Machado @ 3B, it absolutely moves the needle. But there's no guarantee that CLE is even willing to do something like that and I'm guessing we'd need to send more than just Andujar - so perhaps that's not a road the Yanks even want to go down themselves.
The lineup really isn't the problem - the starting pitching had to be better than it was. Paxton was a great acquisition - now we need Severino to find his first half mojo. I'd still be interested in Keuchel, honestly - the market seems cool on him and he might not be terribly expensive.
If not - Jordan Montgomery may re-enter the picture later in the year (I think - I have to re-check his timetable) - Loaisaga and Adams are still floating around. I'm hoping they can carve out a niche for German with that nasty high-whiff rate stuff he's got.
If we had a gaping hole @ 3B or in RF and just didn't seem interested in Machado or Harper, I'd be annoyed. But the truth is that neither guy is really a great "fit" right now. I know when it's a generational player, you don't let that stop you - but I'm not sure Machado is even a "generational" player. Harper has that ceiling - I don't think Machado really does, but that's semantics, he's obviously a tremendous talent.
I don't know - the more I think about it, the more I think I'm okay with letting CHW ink Machado to some mega deal if they want.
Basically just telling the Yanks --- when you try to pounce at the last second here, come in equal to the best existing offer and not lower.
Posturing, and probably not worthy of the dramatic tease tweet from Martino, but that's him.
Basically just telling the Yanks --- when you try to pounce at the last second here, come in equal to the best existing offer and not lower.
Posturing, and probably not worthy of the dramatic tease tweet from Martino, but that's him.
Hang on...you are telling me a top young free agent in baseball will go to the team who will offer him the most money? Can they get someone else to verify this? This is unchartered territory.
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More bad news for Yankees fans who want Machado coming shortly ...
Haha, can't wait to see it
Agree, he is turning into another blowhard.
Quote:
I will say this -- he's been spot on in regards to the Yankees this offseason and was at the deadline as well (hence why I follow him) but he's such an irritable guy.
Agree, he is turning into another blowhard.
Maybe he was not allowed access to a Yankee press conference earlier in his career. That's all I can think of when it comes to him and the Yankees. He use to be on Daily New Live a lot and would always take a negative spin on the Yankees.
Won't even get into Harper, as there's somehow been no interest shown. But LF and 1B are huge question marks where he may have fit. There are holes in this lineup and defense. Remember the offense didn't exactly show out in the playoff loss either despite focus being on the pitching. I've got to disagree that there was no opening for either. And if you believe in WAR as a metric, Machado absolutely is a generational SS/3B, as outlined previously in this thread
This. Please. If they are going it to piss away money on a huge deal get Harper and trade some Surplus OF to get it
Won't even get into Harper, as there's somehow been no interest shown. But LF and 1B are huge question marks where he may have fit. There are holes in this lineup and defense. Remember the offense didn't exactly show out in the playoff loss either despite focus being on the pitching. I've got to disagree that there was no opening for either. And if you believe in WAR as a metric, Machado absolutely is a generational SS/3B, as outlined previously in this thread
Because Didi isn't expected to miss the entire year and I'm starting to think they may be planning on keeping him beyond 2019. If that's the case, where is Machado going to play?
Machado was a negative defender @ SS in Baltimore last year and thats where he's going to be playing if he signs here. That's not generational. He has to play 3B to maximize his value, and we can't play him there on this team unless we trade Andujar.
Perhaps there's not a good match, or the Yanks aren't willing to give up on a RoY snub who hit .297 and clubbed 27 HR's in his first full season.
Tulo isn't meant to be a long-term option @ SS. If he gets hurt again, they'll be able to fill the gap temporarily with someone like Wade or they can look to pursue an all glove option like Hechavarria who is still a FA to make the left side less vulnerable.
As for the bats - the DS sample size is just too small. It's a 4 game sample size. And we scored 7 runs in the play-in against OAK.
You can find a bad offensive 4 game stretch for any team in the league in any given season. It's just the nature of the sport. We couldn't get hits when we needed them and had RISP. I am not going to let those 4 games convince me that the NYY offense isn't enough when only 3 teams were more productive through the course of the 162 game regular season.
Didi is out until July or August and is having a major surgery on his throwing elbow and will be 30 years old during his free agency. I love the guy, but he is hardly a sure thing moving forward.
But the main point in all of this is I just do not have the same confidence that Andujar can stick at 3B that you seem to have. I don't want to trade him, but I think his position destiny is elsewhere. And in that case, there's your spot for Machado while keeping Didi. In the meantime they could have played together with Didi out. The pitching was a bigger priority but the options to improve it significantly were not out there. I wish we would have loaded up the lineup in lieu of that. Tulo, Tyler Wade, Hechevaria? Come on now.
He is much, much better @ 3B than he is @ SS. He's really not a SS - he's played like 3-4x as many games @ 3B than he has SS.
I don't think anyone should sign him expecting him to be a full time SS. The value diminishes. He's got to be able to play @ 3rd, IMO. At least for the most part.
TJS is different for position players. Torres didn't show any real ill effects from it and I doubt Didi will, either.
For Machado to make sense, NYY has to move Andujar IMO. It's really as simple as that - and right now, they don't seem too eager to do that.
p.s.--remember the reports back in December that Machado had offers on the table from Chicago, Philly, and the Yankees and he was going to use the holidays to mull it over and then announce his decision after the new year.
If you want to move Andujar off 3B, that's fine - but where is he going? It's so much easier said than done. Not every guy can just be stuck @ 1B - and with Voit and Bird in the fold, 1B isn't really an option anyway right now.
The only viable option right now is to play Stanton more in the OF and use the DH spot for Miggy.
I think the offense will be fine as-is until Didi is back. We scored more runs than every team in baseball not named the Boston Red Sox and that was with our best offensive player missing 50 games.
Just a note, Torres had TJ on his non-throwing elbow. Didi on his throwing elbow. It's not insignificant and given the way management has operated, I think it's more likely they let him walk than re-sign him long term.
If we're going to spend more money or look to make additional acquisitions, I'd want them to be pitchers.
I think the season the Red Sox had is actually causing people to misread the Yanks.
Andujar has literally played zero innings at first base in both the minors and majors. We're just going to throw him over there and pray? I don't see it.
Harper makes more sense to me than Machado does, honestly.
remember the reports back in December that Machado had offers on the table from Chicago, Philly, and the Yankees and he was going to use the holidays to mull it over and then announce his decision after the new year.
There was only one report to that effect and it came from some guy in Australia trying to make a name for himself.
The way google works, just about anybody can get their fifteen minutes of fame by landing at the top of a "Manny Machado" news search.
In response to skepticism, this gentleman said he would delete his twitter account if wrong and, to his credit, he seems to be backing that up.
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Jan 11
Just closing the loop on this - I lost the bet! Machado's signing hasn't been announced but looks like I was wrong. I trusted my source and it backfired. That's completely on me - idiot! Wasn't trolling #Yankees fans - I apologize and wish you well! Will deactivate shortly. Ciao!
The hours per day Andujar is reported to be practicing for weeks in Tampa is giving the Yankees a sense that sticking with Andujar gives them an average defender in 1-3 years and a great hitter. And if not, an offense so good a move to another position is called for before a trade.
I mean the guy did break rookie records held by Joe DiMaggio
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Per source, the #WhiteSox offer to free agent Manny Machado has not changed and is in fact for 7 years.