Yankees are willing to make room for Manny Machado

Wondering whether or not the Yankees need Manny Machado is a useless exercise. If they can acquire the Orioles superstar, they’ll make room.

The New York Yankees are not a team that ever hesitates to add big-time talent to their roster. As such, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see them linked with a move for Orioles shortstop Manny Machado. The presence of Miguel Andujar and Didi Gregorius on the left side of Aaron Boone’s infield is completely irrelevant.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that Baltimore would prefer to send Machado to the National League, but they are engaged in some measure of dialogue with the Yankees. Predictably, the Orioles would ask for a bigger haul from the Yankees compared to any other team in baseball.

Some have questioned whether or not the Yankees really have a need for Machado. In fairness, Gregorius and Andujar are both above average starters at their respective positions. Assuming both of them stay put, fitting Machado into the everyday lineup would be a challenge for Boone. Don’t expect that to lessen Brian Cashman’s interest in making a deal, though.

It is, however, fair to wonder if the Yankees have enough to swing a deal for Machado without including Andujar. Obviously, the Orioles would like to get a like-for-like replacement for Machado in any deal. They’d be hard pressed to find a young third baseman with Andujar’s major league experience and potential upside. Many scouts believe he has a chance to develop into an All-Star at the hot corner.

However, Rosenthal’s report insists Andujar hasn’t been made available by the Yankees. That’s an admirable opening stance by Cashman, but it does lessen the chances of getting a deal done. There’s likely zero chance the Yankees will part with All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres. There’s still a ton of talent to choose from in New York’s farm system, but it would make it hard for the Orioles to get a young major leaguer with significant upside.

Undoubtedly, the Yankees would love to use some of their fringe regulars to supplement the prospects they’d need to give up. Brandon Drury, Clint Frazier and quite a few AAA arms could easily be included in the deal. Yet those players wouldn’t be the headliners.

Baltimore’s front office would want to build a deal centered around some of the Yankees’ younger but more talented minor leaguers. Players like Justus Sheffield, Estevan Florial and Albert Abreu would all be high on Dan Duquette’s shopping list. It’s unclear exactly which of those hyped prospects Cashman would be willing to include.

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In the end, expect the Yankees to keep tabs on Machado until he’s moved. If Cashman thinks the value proposition is right, he’ll make the bold move to acquire him regardless of the position he plays. At the very least, the Yankees will make sure no other team has a chance to acquire him for a relatively cheap price.