New York Yankees missing out on Manny Machado is a good thing
The New York Yankees missed out on one of the biggest free agents of the 2018-19 offseason and believe it or not; this has turned out to be a good thing.
The New York Yankees entered the 2019 season without signing any primary free agents, and it is because of this that we have had the chance to see players such as Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu play exceptionally well.
The Yankees were tied to rumors with Manny Machado for a while and a bit it looked as if the star shortstop/third baseman would be wearing pinstripes this season. Well, spoiler alert, he is not, and after signing a 10-year $300 million contract, Machado joined the San Diego Padres.
This turned out to be a good thing because even though Miguel Andujar went down early on in the season, which would force him to get season-ending surgery, we have seen the rise of Gio Urshela and also DJ LeMahieu.
Had the Yankees shelled out the money needed to get Machado, we might not have had the chance to see Urshela and LeMahieu play as well as they have.
So far this season Machado holds only a .277 batting average with 26 home runs, 68 RBIs and a .511 slugging percentage. Not bad indeed, but when you consider the fact that the Padres are paying him $30 million a year for the next ten years, you start to question if he’s worth the money.
Not only do you question if he’s worth $30 million per year, but when you consider the fact that the Yankees are paying LeMahieu and Urshela less than $13 million in 2019, COMBINED, you realize that the Yankees missing out on the four-time All-Star was a good thing.
So far this season LeMahieu is batting .332 with 15 home runs, 71 RBIs and a .517 slugging percentage. Except for home runs, LeMahieu is doing far better than Machado so now this season.
Not only that, but the Yankees utility man is also in serious conversations for MVP this season and it appears as if the Yankees got the biggest steal of the offseason. The AL All-Star starting second baseman has played just about every position for the Yankees so far this season.
In any given game you could see him at second base, first base, shortstop or third base, depending on how Aaron Boone decides to use him with the Yankees full infield.
Another guy we have seen be very successful this season has been Gio Urshela, the Yankees third baseman who has taken the spot of Miguel Andujar this season. Urshela holds a .311 batting average with 11 home runs, 49 RBIs and a .514 slugging percentage.
Urshela is a bit more comparable to Machado this season, but his average is far better than that of the Padres third baseman. Not only that but the Yankees are paying Urshela less than a million dollars for the 2019 season and the production he’s giving them, that is highway robbery.
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Now, this is just based on this season, and this is something that could change over the next 10-years in which Machado is currently under contract with San Diego. But at the moment, it looks as if the Yankees missing out on Manny Machado was a blessing in disguise.