Was 90 minutes long enough for the Yankees to woo Manny Machado?
The Yankees got their shot to recruit Manny Machado on Wednesday, but was one 90 minute meeting enough to secure the superstar free agent?
Any Yankee fan that wants to see Manny Machado wearing pinstripes in 2019 needs to hope Brian Cashman is a very succinct orator. The team’s front office certainly didn’t spend too much time with the talented infielder on Wednesday.
New York reporters who observed Machado arriving and exiting Yankee Stadium insist he only spent a total of 90 minutes with team officials.
That isn’t an insignificant amount of time, but it also isn’t long enough for Cashman and Machado’s representatives to spend much time negotiating a potential contract.
In fairness, it’s not as if Machado isn’t familiar with the team’s facilities. Playing in the AL East for the vast majority of his career has given him plenty of time to play and practice in Yankee Stadium.
Team officials may have given he and his entourage a cursory tour of the home locker room, but that can only take up so much time.
As such, it’s very likely the vast majority of the 90 minutes were spent on both sides getting a chance to know one another on a personal level. There aren’t any questions about Machado’s talent.
There are, however, questions about how his work ethic and personality might fit into Aaron Boone’s clubhouse.
From Machado’s perspective, his biggest questions likely centered around how the Yankees would use him. He doesn’t hide his desire to stay at shortstop, but Didi Gregorius is expected to reclaim that position once he recovers from Tommy John surgery sometime next season.
Machado could also play third, but that spot is currently occupied by Miguel Andujar.
That might be a complicated question for the Yankees brass to answer, but it’s not something that would have taken long to explain. Articulating a desire to play him over one of those two guys is a pretty easy concept to communicate.
No one knows what the Yankees told Machado about how he might be utilized in 2019 but no potential answer would have required a long and involved explanation.
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In the end, Machado and the Yankees spent enough time to answer the questions they needed answered on Wednesday. That doesn’t mean he’s ready to choose between New York, the Phillies and White Sox though.
That choice will only come after intense contract talks occur between Machado’s representatives and all three franchises. Money will be a much bigger factor in Machado’s decision than the amount of time he spent at Yankee Stadium during his free agency tour.