While most assumed the New York Yankees are targeting starting pitching, the team has reportedly made a strong offer for Manny Machado.
The New York Yankees have made a “strong offer” for Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado. Jon Heyman of Fancred reported the latest update on the four-time All-Star.
There’s no word yet on what the Yankees’ offer entails, but Roch Kubatko of MASN has reported New York pitching prospect Justus Sheffield as not being part of the proposal.
Needless to say, the Manny Machado sweepstakes just got a lot more interesting. Baltimore could not only trade Machado to an AL East rival but possibly at a major discount. This is quite the change from MLB.com’s Jon Morosi stating earlier today that Baltimore would only trade Machado to the Yankees if Sheffield were involved.
The next chapter is anyone’s guess, especially with Sheffield off the table. New York has plenty of young talent to offer Baltimore, so it’s really just a matter of how GM Brian Cashman opts to proceed. He knows Machado could just wind up being a rental for the Yankees, and there’s no way he’ll let himself get fleeced. Keep in mind, this is the same man who acquired reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton for practically nothing. With Baltimore in little position to make demands, these negotiations could wind up similar.
And just who do the Yankees give up? Righty Dillon Tate is 5-2 with a 3.38 ERA at Double-A Trenton this year, and Erik Swanson is 6-1 with a 2.38 ERA across three levels in 2018. New York also has outfielder Clint Frazier and infielder Brandon Drury to offer.
One thing is certain. If Machado becomes a Yankee, Cashman is far from done. The next step would likely be either stashing third baseman Miguel Andujar and his 40 extra base hits in the minors, or maybe trade him for a top arm like New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom.
The Manny Machado sweepstakes are far from over.
