Manny Machado
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Thanks to Aaron Judge, talk of Manny Machado on the New York Yankees in 2019 has picked up. But adding him shouldn’t be the team’s priority.

Every New York Yankees fan would love to see Baltimore’s Manny Machado in pinstripes. So would Aaron Judge, who recently pitched Machado on becoming the latest member of the new Murderer’s Row.

While it would be a dream to see Machado in a lineup that features Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez, bringing Manny to the Bronx for 2019 shouldn’t be a priority.

The 25-year old Machado is one of, if not the best third baseman in baseball. When he hits the open market after the 2018 season, you can rest assured that every team is going to want to take a meeting with him.

You can also be assured of the kind of money he’ll be looking for—money that surpasses Stanton’s record-setting $325 million megadeal.

Let’s not forget who else will be a free agent after the season: Washington’s Bryce Harper. So who do you want? Harper or Machado? Neither? Both?

I’m saying neither and that’s for a few reasons.

The Yankees have plenty of power in the lineup. Judge, Sanchez, Stanton, Greg Bird, Didi Gregorius. They’ve got plenty of young, up-and-coming talent in the minors, including Miguel Andujar, Clint Frazier, Billy McKinney and, of course, Gleyber Torres, the team’s top prospect.

Torres is the future, though it remains unclear whether he’ll play second base or third base longterm. In some aspects, Torres is the Yanks’ Machado, and you always bet on your own guy over someone else’s.

Neither Harper nor Machado is going to come cheap. The Yanks have to use their money wisely. Locking up some of their young talent, like Judge and Sanchez, is one way they can do that.

Adding another starting pitcher would make some sense as well, and there are plenty of notable names who will potentially be available, including Gio Gonzalez, Clayton Kershaw, and Dallas Keuchel.

 

Machado would be a luxury the Yankees simply don’t need. Their money would be better spent elsewhere.