MEGA MANNY?

Despite Judge recruitment, signing Keuchel might be better Yank option than Machado

Since Aaron Judge brought it up… Just kidding. I have to admit I was rather stunned that Judge shared with reporters his “You’d-look-good-inpinstripes” line to Manny Machado last week, considering how carefully he measures his every word.

The tampering silliness aside, players avoid such comments at least partly out of respect to teammates currently filling the position in question, in this case either shortstop or third base.

And as respectful as Judge is of teammates, I have to believe he was just trying to have some fun with what he said to Machado, not really thinking of the implication.

If nothing else, though, it’s an indication of just how front-and-center that storyline will be all season, with so much speculation about Machado potentially coming to the Bronx as a free agent next winter.

The Yankees clearly have interest, but after asking around on Friday, I get the impression the Giancarlo Stanton contract they inherited makes it less likely they would sign Machado to a mega-deal, even if they do keep this year’s payroll under the $197 million luxurytax threshhold, as planned.

And for that matter, scouts and execs I asked think it might be more likely the Yankees sign Dallas Keuchel than Machado.

As one scout put it, “Offense is not going to be a problem for them anytime soon. Are they going to outbid teams on a huge deal for Machado when they’ve got all those homegrown position players who they’re going to have to pay eventually?

“Obviously a lot depends on what happens this year, but Keuchel might be a guy who helps put them over the top.”

Yes, a lot will happen in the meantime, including Brian Cashman perhaps making a trade for a starting pitcher in July, but certainly there’s a case to be made for signing Keuchel, the Astros’ lefty notorious Yankeekiller, over Machado.

Start with money. There were bargains galore in free agency this winter, but if Eric Hosmer got eight years and $144 million at age 28, then Machado and Bryce Harper at age 26 are still going to command mega-deals.

And even if the Yankees do reset their tax rate dramatically on money spent over the threshold in future years, one person close to the situation made the point that it doesn’t mean Hal Steinbrenner would be OK going back to a $220 million payroll.

“Hal has been very clear in saying he doesn’t believe he needs a $200 million payroll to win a championship,” the person said, “and he’s serious about that. All of the young talent in the organization made it possible to take on the Stanton contract (10 years and $295 million remaining), but I can’t see him signing off another one of those.”

Such a mindset could change quickly, of course, if the Yankees fail to live up to expectations this season, and if neither Brandon Drury nor Miguel Andujar looks like a keeper at third base.

Even then there is the question of how serious Machado is about wanting to stay at shortstop now that he has moved back there with the Orioles. Didi Gregorius is a free agent after the 2019 season, and he won’t come cheap either, but his lefthanded power makes him very valuable in a Yankee lineup whose sluggers are mostly righthanded.

As a shortstop, Machado might command even more money than he would as a third baseman, but more to the point, if the Yankees bludgeon teams offensively this season while the starting pitching is less than dominant, Keuchel could be the perfect solution.

The only potentially more attractive option would be Clayton Kershaw, who has an optout in his contract, but surely the only way the Dodgers let him walk is if he has more back problems, which probably would scare off other teams as well.

Keuchel will be 31 in 2019 but he’s not a power guy, relying instead on late movement on both his two-seam fastball and his changeup that baffles hitters, with the Yankees as Exhibit A.

Even after they finally got to him in Game 5 of the ALCS at the Stadium, Keuchel still owns the Yanks: in six regular season starts he is 4-2 with a 1.41 ERA, and in three postseason starts he is 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA.

Then again, the Astros might lock him up long-term. As a Scott Boras client, you’d think Keuchel is a lock to reach free agency, but another Boras client, Jose Altuve, just agreed to a five-year, $150 million extension, which sounds like a bargain for a player fresh off winning the AL MVP Award at age 27.

So perhaps the downturn in free agency, and the beating Boras took on a few of his clients, is making even the game’s most notorious agent rethink his hard-line stance.

In any case, the Astros’ lefty would come cheaper than Machado in free agency if it comes to that. And even Judge might agree Keuchel would look just as good in pinstripes.

SHO NO!

Could The Babe Ruth of Japan be headed for the minors? There’s plenty of speculation about that around the Angels, after Shohei Ohtani was hammered again in his latest start on the mound, giving up six hits and seven runs in the second inning against the Rockies, including home runs to Nolan Arenado and Ian Desmond. In four starts, including one in a minor-league

GETTING THEIR PHIL

By signing Jake Arrieta last week, the Phillies accelerated their rebuild and announced they mean business in the years to come, which could be bad news for the Mets.

Having stripped their payroll down before signing Carlos Santana and now Arrieta in this offseason, the Phillies have plenty of money to spend and an owner, John Middleton, who wants to make a splash.

Middleton made a show of flying Arrieta by the team’s private plane from Philadelphia to spring training in Clearwater, Fla., and filming team executives greeting the star pitcher on the tarmac.

“I want people to understand that we’re going to do things first class,” Middleton told reporters. “I want everybody in the organization to understand what our mission is and how we’re supposed to go about it. We’re serious about winning and we’re going to do what it takes to win.”

Middleton said he had circled Arrieta’s name as a potential signing, so reporters asked him if he’d already done the same with the biggest names in next year’s highly-anticipated free agent class, meaning Machado or Bryce Harper.

“That’s a conversation for another day,” Middleton said. “But trust me, they’re circled.”