STOP RIGHT THERE
MACHADO PLAN TO STAY AT SHORT IS BAD NEWS FOR YANKS
Manny Machado doesn’t sound as if he will be coming to the Yankees — unless they plan to move Didi Gregorius off shortstop.
The Orioles’ free-agent-to-be superstar has spent most of his six-year big-league career as a third baseman, but moved to shortstop, his natural position, this season, and plans to remain there for a long time.
“I made the commitment to go to short. I think moving forward I would like to stay there,” Machado said on Thursday before the Orioles beat the Yankees, 5-2, to open a fourgame series in The Bronx. “This is not just a move, like you guys like to say, for money purposes. I’m going to get mine. Everybody is going to get theirs. This is where my heart is, where my heart has always been. That’s where I want to be.
“I moved over for a reason. I made a commitment to it, and I’m going to stick to it.”
Machado, who posted a .259/.310/ .471 slash line last year with 33 home runs and a .781 OPS, will be a coveted free agent following this season — he was involved in reported trade talks frequently this past offseason — and there have been rumors the Yankees could target the three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner. But they have a pretty good shortstop in Gregorius. When asked about the Yankees specifically, Machado gave a non-answer, saying those are things he can’t control. But he added he doesn’t expect free agency to weigh on him.
“My future’s looking pretty good,” Machado said with a smile. “I just got to go out there and stay healthy and play baseball. I got to put up numbers, try to win games for my team.”
Machado, 25, played 45 games at shortstop in 2016 as a fill-in for J.J. Hardy, but didn’t play any games there last year. In the offseason, the Orioles granted Machado’s request to play shortstop and they moved Tim Beckham to third base.
“It’s been awesome. I’ve been enjoying it,” Machado said of the transition. “I just got to keep working, keep getting better every day.”
The Orioles arrived in The Bronx 1-5, having been outscored 34-14. They were coming off a three-game sweep in Houston by the defending World Series champions and had lost five straight. Machado, batting .222 without an RBI in seven games, didn’t seem worried.
“It’s still early. Everyone’s starting to click together,” said Machado, before going 0-for-4 on Thursday. “It’s just a matter of time [before] we start clicking. I know our pitching staff is better than what’s happening, and we’re a better offense than [how] we’ve been playing. It’s nothing to be concerned about. It’s going to be just fine.”
During spring training, Aaron Judge caught heat from the MLB offices and the Yankees for saying of Machado: “Adding him to our lineup that we already got would be something special. I told him he’d look good in pinstripes.”
Machado defended Judge at the time, saying he believed more was made out of the situation than was necessary. He reiterated that stance on Thursday.
“Like I said, it’s a situation that was blown out of proportion,” he said. “It’s just how the New York media is. But I know he’s a great kid. He just meant well. It was just chit-chat you mess around with, just like everyone else messes around with everything.”
But unless Machado decides playing shortstop isn’t that important to him or the Yankees change Gregorius’ position, the two likely will not be teammates.