Yankee owner voices concerns over Manny Machado hustle comments

The New York Yankees definitely seem interested in free agent infielder Manny Machado, but they have some very public concerns about how he’s handled himself.

Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner believes Machado needs to clarify comments he made during the playoffs in which he admitted he was never going to be a major hustle-type player.

Steinbrenner said he would need to hear more from Machado about his “no-hustle” comments.

"If it’s a $300 million guy, or a $10-million guy, clearly those comments are troubling,” said Hal. #Yankees

— David Lennon (@DPLennon) November 14, 2018

We had heard previously that the Yankees are “lukewarm” on Machado because of the controversies that followed him during the playoffs. That may be too strong, but they clearly have enough reservations that they’re voicing them publicly ahead of negotiations. It could be a ploy, and it remains to be seen how they handle it.