Manny Machado Yankees
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

All Manny Machado wants for Christmas is a contract from the New York Yankees. Oh, and $300 million or more.

Aaron Case

The New York Yankees have found themselves at the top of Manny Machado’s free agency wish list. According to MLB analyst Jim Bowden, that’s a verifiable fact.

“Manny Machado’s first choice is the New York Yankees,” Bowden told CBS Sports’ Adam Schein. “So if the Yankees come to the table, and they’re able to compete and are willing to compete financially for his services, they will be the team that gets Manny Machado.”

At least one report, coming from Fancred’s Jon Heyman, has indicated that any offer from the Yankees to Machado will be less than $300 million.

The third baseman/shortstop was once seen as worth up to $400 million. Even if that number drops due to Machado’s lackadaisical moments in the 2018 postseason, it’s not hard to imagine the Phillies, White Sox, or some other team offering above $300 million. He is still a guy who hit 37 home runs and drove in 107 last season.

So, it all hinges on Hal Steinbrenner giving Brian Cashman the green light to bathe Machado in cash. While the Yankees are certainly set up to do that, they’ve seemed afraid to spend money this offseason.

The Washington Nationals outbid New York by $40 million to land Patrick Corbin. Not long after that, Boston gave Nathan Eovaldi a year more than the Yankees were willing to offer.

Whether the Bombers were being cheap or saving their money for Machado remains to be seen.


Freelance editor and writer, and full-time Yankees fan. Originally from Monticello, NY, but now lives in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.