The New York Yankees are sure to be one of a handful of teams that will at least express interest in Manny Machado this winter, but there has been some doubt about whether Machado would be willing to waver from his insistence on playing shortstop. According to one report, that will not be an issue.
Sources close to Machado told Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports that the Yankees are Machado’s first choice, with one friend of Machado saying the 26-year-old would “easily” move back to third base for the opportunity to wear pinstripes.
Here’s more:
Machado isn’t going to give away his preferences now, particularly while playing for a different marquee franchise, but multiple people say Machado and his family — who live in Miami — are all in on their love of the Yankees and New York, which fits his big-city preference and desire to get back to the East Coast. He’s said to be OK with Los Angeles, but according to others anyway, apparently views it as a stopover.
Obviously, every major free agent wants the Yankees to be interested. Still, Machado’s reported desire to play for New York is noteworthy considering there has been plenty of talk about him wanting to remain at shortstop. The Yankees are set at that position with Didi Gregorius, and they have even gotten tremendous play at third from Rookie of the Year contender Miguel Andujar.
Machado made some critical comments about the Baltimore Orioles after he was traded, so it seems like he wants to play for a contender. Perhaps that desire will trump his passion for being a shortstop.
