New York Yankees: Why Manny Machado would screw everything up

Here is the argument for why the New York Yankees should not trade for Manny Machado. He would change this roster but not for the better.

Manny Machado has been linked to trade rumors for years now, but things are apparently heating up between the New York Yankees and Orioles for the third base turned shortstop. But why? The Yankees have been playing great this season boasting the third best record in the MLB at 61-31.

Much of that success is thanks to young players with small contracts who will want money in a few seasons. Players such as Aaron Judge, Miguel Andujar, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres and Luis Severino. Say the Yankees do end up getting Machado via a trade, that means they will have him for only half a season before he becomes a free agent this upcoming off-season.

If the Yankees did manage to reel in Machado it would be because they believe they could sign him back when the offseason comes around. If that is the case they are prepared to offer him well over $200 million. But that would completely shut down everything they are doing.

One player taking over $200 million means less money for those young studs I previously mentioned. If the Yankees are already the third best team in the league why would it make sense to offer someone who is not yet on the team over $200 million?

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When Judge, Torres, Andujar, Severino and Sanchez are free agents the Yankees are going to do whatever they can to bring each of them back. The problem is if they have Machado on the payroll not only will he take hundreds of millions of dollars, but he will also take up a position of either short stop or third base.

With Andujar at third the Yankees would have to make a decision. Do they take the guy who has proven himself over years to be one of the best players in the league, or do they take the guy who had a fantastic rookie season in 2018 and shows a ton of promise? Or do they not even have to make this decision and they slide Machado in at short and trade Didi Gregorious for pitching help?

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Whatever the case may be they will have to make a season changing decision centered around one of the best players in the league. If they do want to sign Machado back in the upcoming off-season chances are they will go with that final option. The reason for this being that Machado has said on multiple occasions that he will only sign with a team where he will play shortstop.

The only way this would work would be if the Yankees traded away Didi Gregorious in the upcoming days. But that is a big risk to take seeing Machado is going to be a free agent following this season and Didi Gregorious is a free agent after next season. With that being said do they go with the guy who is going to cost millions in a few months or the guy they’ve been sticking with since 2015 who will cost less?

If the Yankees do end up trading for Machado and then signing him back come the offseason it will screw up everything they’ve done so far. It will be harder to bring back their young studs who have been tearing it up and everything will go downhill from there.

Editor’s Note: Tune in tomorrow morning when we bring you the opposite side of this argument, also courtesy of Matthew Travis.

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