MANNYWOOD PART 2!
Dodgers land Machado, but Yanks still have eyes for him in ’19
WASHINGTON – First, LeBron James.
Now, another star is headed to L.A. — and hopefully, they still have those old Mannywood signs handy.
A decade after acquiring Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers are on the verge of getting Manny Machado in a blockbuster deal with the Orioles.
While nothing is official as of yet, Ken Rosenthal reported with more certainty on Tuesday night that “Machado to the Dodgers is happening.”
The full trade is unknown at this point.
Machado wore an Orioles uniform for the final time on Tuesday night, when he started at shortstop for the AL in the All-Star Game.
“You’ve done us proud, Manny,” Baltimore tweeted from its verified team account.
During the Midsummer Classic, Machado pulled out his cellphone and took a selfie with soon-tobe teammate Matt Kemp at second base after Kemp doubled off Luis Severino in the second.
J.D. Martinez asked Machado where he was going on Tuesday in an Instagram video.
“S--t, f--k if I know,” Machado replied.
The Dodgers emerged as the favorites to get Machado a day after it was thought he’d be headed to the Phillies.
“I haven’t heard anything,” Machado said before the game. “I’m just worried about the game today, and whatever happens moving forward will happen. There will be a time and place for everything.”
The Brewers were also in the mix for Machado, as were the Yankees, though the stars never aligned for the Bombers like they did for Giancarlo Stanton.
Baltimore asked for Justus Sheffield and Estevan Florial. The O’s were also interested in Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar.
But Brian Cashman smartly wasn’t willing to deal any of his top prospects for Machado, who will be a free agent at season’s end.
It always seemed like a Stanton situation. As in, if it’s at our price, we’ll do it. If not, no thanks.
But the possibility of Machado finally wearing pinstripes in 2019 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Not with Machado “mistakenly” liking an Instagram photo of himself in a Yankees’ uniform.
Not with his young nephew saying on MLB Network that he wants his uncle to play for the Bombers.
And not with Aroldis Chapman only fueling the fire by posting an Instagram photo of himself, Machado, Luis Severino and Gleyber Torres along with “You put the caption…”
The Yankees, of course, have a capable shortstop in Didi Gregorius and a young third baseman in Miguel Andujar who has shown promise with the bat and in the field, albeit struggling on defense at times.
Their real immediate need is starting pitching.
They may not be able to get the likes of Jacob deGrom (due to Jeff Wilpon) and Blake Snell (due to the Rays probably demanding a King’s Ransom from a division rival). But there are second-tier guys like J.A. Happ and Michael Fulmer out
there. And even though they'd be gambles, so is pitching the likes of Domingo German and Sonny Gray every fifth day.
Plus, maybe the Yankees take a stab at Cardinals ace Carlos Martinez, with St. Louis having just fired Mike Matheny. The cost would probably be steep, but it's certainly worth a call to see if it's something the Cards would entertain.
Martinez, 26, is in the second year of a five-year, $51 million deal. He's also a potential difference-maker on the mound.
Calling up Sheffield to help in some capacity could also be an interesting option, whether as a starter or relief option. With Chapman's left knee tendinitis a persistent issue – even though he's been able to excel anyway – a closer like Zach Britton or Brad Hand makes sense as a valuable high-leverage setup man and insurance option.
The Yankees trail the Red Sox by 4.5 games in the AL East standings, and they want no part of playing in the do-or-die AL wild-card game. So surely Cashman is going to do something.
Last season, he added Sonny Gray, Jaime Garcia, David Robertson, Todd Frazier and Tommy Kahnle, who helped the team advance to Game 7 of the ALCS.
“We're going to keep fighting,” Luis Severino said.