O’s Machado talks Yanks, free agency
Orioles' Machado closing in on free agency riches, potential Yankee future
BALTIMORE — Manny Machado lives in the moment. There is no other way to survive and flourish in Major League Baseball.
But after the 2018 season, the best third baseman in the AL will be a free agent, and he has heard the chatter coming from New York. He will be 26 years old with seven years of major league star experience in the books.
Even if all the Yankee youngsters excel, Machado would be the perfect addition to the Bronx Bombers for 2019.
“I’m sure now when we go to New York, it’s going to be crazy,’’ the Orioles superstar told The Post of the free-agent rumors. “I know there is talk about the future and maybe me, Gary [Sanchez] and [Bryce] Harper being together. That’s New York. That’s what goes on. ... You never know what to expect in this game.
“Those are things you can’t control,’’ he said. “You can’t control what people are going to say, but I can go out there and do what I can to get to that situation and put myself in a good situation for my family to do big things.’’
Asked if he is going to keep all his options open, Machado said, “100 percent.’’
Machado is focused on helping the Orioles get back to the postseason. He also knows how good Sanchez is and how much better he will become over time.
“The first time I actually saw Gary was in Low-A, and he was good at the time,’’ the threetime All-Star said. “He’s been raking since the minors. I don’t know what took so long for him to get here.’’
Sanchez hit a booming, tworun home run Friday night in the top of the fifth at Camden Yards, and in the bottom of the inning Machado answered with a laser three-run shot off a Luis Severino fastball, an excellent pitch, that helped catapult the Orioles to a 6-5 victory. Imagine if both of those sluggers are in the same lineup doing that?
Machado knows how to handle pressure on the field, but this is a different game. Teams like the Yankees, the Dodgers and maybe even his hometown Marlins, perhaps with Derek Jeter in charge, could be in the hunt for his immense talents.
“It’s tough,’’ Machado admitted. “I haven’t even thought that far ahead. It’s a tough decision. There are so many different variables — family, where you live, moving, all that is hard. I’ve been here for six years, my wife is comfortable here, I feel comfortable here, it’s kind of hard to leave. It’s like Miami. I live in Miami in the offseason. That’s where I lived my entire life. That’s what I’m used to. There is a lot to it. It’s something you really can’t think forward to because I would drive myself crazy. Anybody would.’’