Aaron Boone needs to talk to Miguel Andujar about his Yankees future

If Manny Machado is headed to the Yankees, it’s going to have a massive impact on Miguel Andujar. Aaron Boone needs to talk with his third baseman. 

There’s no hotter rumor in baseball right now than reports linking the Yankees with a sensational move for Orioles’ star Manny Machado. That’s good news for everyone in New York other than Miguel Andujar. He’s the man who stands to lose his position if Machado arrives in the Bronx.

Predictably, Andujar claims the reports about Machado coming to the Yankees don’t worry him in the slightest. That’s exactly the sort of attitude his manager wants him to have. Unfortunately,  a young player showing that much maturity is highly unlikely.

That’s why Boone needs to be proactive in his communication with Andujar. Unfortunately, the Yankees manager claims he hasn’t talked to his young slugger about any trade rumours as of yet. Boone says he talks to Andujar, and all of his players, “quite a bit.”

If that’s truly the case, he should have no trouble addressing the subject head-on.

By doing so, he can help Andujar stay focused in the midst of a pretty serious media storm. He isn’t going to stop hearing questions about Machado until either the trade deadline passes or the Orioles star is dealt somewhere else.

In other words, the questions could easily continue to rain down on Andujar for a few more weeks. The Yankees can’t afford for him to go in a slump amidst the media circus.

The hard part for Boone is to figure out exactly what to say to Andujar. He can’t firmly rule out the idea that Machado might be coming to the Bronx.

The Yankees aren’t Baltimore’s ideal trade partner, but they have the mix of young major league players and prospects to make a deal work. At the very least, a myriad of stranger trades have happened previously in MLB.

Next: Yankees are willing to make room for Machado

This is certainly a new situation for Boone as a manager, but it’s one he needs to tackle head on. Having an open and honest conservation with Andujar now will help prevent his young third baseman from becoming overwhelmed by the Machado rumors.