Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees are showing interest in Josh Harrison and Marwin Gonzalez, perhaps as Manny Machado fallbacks.
Manny Machado remains the great New York Yankees interest of the hot stove moment. The man we all thought would have been a no-brainer for so long, Bryce Harper, seems impossible due to the position and contract of Giancarlo Stanton.
Will Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman be cool with Manny being Manny? Only time will tell. In the meantime, other options continue to be bandied about.
According to baseball journalism veteran Jon Heyman of Fancred, the Yanks continue to kick the tires on free agents Josh Harrison and Marwin Gonzalez. Both individuals are seemingly backup choices if Machado isn’t had.
Harrison, 31, is currently an MLB free agent. A two-time NL All-Star, Harrison bring solid defense and speed to the table. He’s hit 52 home runs and 269 runs batted in while batting .277 over eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
From Heyman:
“The Yankees have shown interest in Josh Harrison. That could be a backup plan to Manny Machado.”
Gonzalez, 29, is also a free agent who comes to the unemployment party with a World Series ring. The Venezuelan’s forte is a little pop at the shortstop position, something he featured quite frequently with the Houston Astros.
Gonzalez collected 76 homers and 292 runs batted in while hitting .264 in 2,466 at-bats over seven seasons in Houston.
From Heyman:
“Or perhaps Marwin Gonzalez is the backup plan to Machado. The Yankees have spoken about him, but any interest they have in adding Gonzalez could be dependent on whether Machado works out, as Machado and Hal Steinbrenner have yet to have their face-to-face talk.”
As of right now, only interest and conversation is the involvement level.
Heyman also mentions the New York Mets are showing interest in Gonzalez.
