As he continues to play a key role on a big stage for the Dodgers, star infielder Manny Machado is of course also making last impressions in advance of his entry onto the free-agent market. His controversial run through the NLCS has certainly sparked quite a lot of attention. In particular, Machado was fined for dragging his foot and striking the leg of Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar and had some eyebrow-raising comments on his effort level. It is perhaps debatable whether or not those developments — and whatever else may emerge in the postseason — will impact his earning power. After all, Machado has a long record of productivity on the field despite his quirks.
Here are some notes on these interesting developments:
- Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic got the comments from Machado that sparked so much controversy, and they really are something to behold. (Subscription link.) “Obviously I’m not going to change, I’m not the type of player that’s going to be ’Johnny Hustle,’ and run down the line and slide to first base,” said Machado. “… That’s just not my personality, that’s not my cup of tea, that’s not who I am.” He does perhaps deserve bonus points for his honesty, along with his acknowledgement that he “should … have given it a little more effort.” And Machado does say that it’s “just my mentality when I’m in the game” — presumably, the same ingrained approach that often produces moments of brilliance and generally excellent results. Still, that line of thinking will certainly be a tough sell for some fans.
- The outcome of Machado’s free agency will depend in no small part upon the extent to which he’s able to generate strong interest from multiple organizations. Media pressure is perhaps overstated as a causative factor, but at a minimum it can reflect general fan sentiment. It is worth noting, then, that Machado’s recent hijinks have sparked some questioning in some markets. Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch argues the Cardinals should “steer clear of the Machado suspense and nonsense.” Meanwhile, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia says that these public developments dovetail with other concerns from some in the Phillies organization, in addition to posing problems given the Philly fanbase’s predilection for lunchpail-toting athletes.
- Of course, the Phillies baseball ops department includes several key people who have prior experience with Machado in Baltimore — the only place he had played until the July swap that sent him to Los Angeles. Orioles coach Bobby Dickerson discussed his interesting relationship with Machado with Dan Connelly of The Athletic (subscription link). You’ll obviously want to read the whole piece for all his thoughts, but Dickerson interestingly echoes Machado’s own self-awareness of his suboptimal traits. The coach says that Machado is “a good guy” with “a good heart,” at core, even if “Swaggy Machado” is often the impression given to opponents and the general public.
- The Yankees have long been tabbed as a possible pursuer of Machado. To an extent, speculation waned with the rise of several talented infielders, but the recent Tommy John surgery performed on shortstop Didi Gregorius seemingly increases the merit of a fit. Indeed, per Jon Heyman of Fancred, there is real interest on behalf of the Yanks — though the precise extent of that may not quite be clear. As Heyman emphasizes, and has reported previously, there’s a sense also in some quarters that Machado would like to land in New York.
Glad that Machado got fined for his foot dragging and contact to Aguilar. Amazing the apologists see nothing wrong with what he did.
Personally I thought it was pretty lame that anyone got upset about it, but Manny has the reputation, right or wrong, and hasn’t done himself any favors to dispel that.
It was obvious that he drug his foot and he could have cause Aguilar to rupture his tendon. When he does stuff like this it definitely reinforces the reputation that he now has.
Fatty shouldn’t have had his foot so far on the bag. And fatty is going to rupture his Achilles just from his girth alone one day.
“Fatty” had his foot right where it belonged… “shiite for brains” should have run in the base path. If Machado doesn’t go to the Yankees, watch their fans say they didn’t want his attitude anyway. Lol
I am a Phillies fan (obviously); I will go on the record and say I am not sure I want him since Philly is “rumored to be” the #2 landing spot. I will say it now before anything is done. Not that I would stop watching but…. I am not nuts about Harper or Machado.
Oh and as a pleasantly plump fatty myself, go home troll.
Fatty did not have his foot in the right place. That is why Machado was able to bang into it while still in the base path. Fatty should work on learning to play baseball the proper way and put down his mid-morning snack of 20 Big Macs.
Phillies Phan, you would be lucky to get Harper or Machado. You’re not going to win with what you currently have. Unfortunately MacFail is only good at reducing payroll.
Oh, and I don’t care that you’re fat. I only call him fatty because he is a professional athlete who should take better care of himself, including where he sticks his fat foot on the bag.
As a Yankee fan, I currently don’t want Machado’s attitude, no matter his offensive output. Offense is not their issue– pitching is. The team is for the first time in a while generally a likable bunch. A-Rod’s prima donna days are over, Jeter’s phoniness is gone. I like Judge’s attitude, I like Stanton’s play (even if he underperformed)– I love the likes of Torres, Andujar, Hicks, and the fun-loving energy they bring. I don’t want another prima donna phony who doesn’t hustle coming in and ruining that. Sanchez is already on the roster if you must have one of those.
If they get him, I’ll easily deal with it– because he IS an offensive force– but all things being equal I’d rather they get a stud pitcher and sign a guy like Paul Goldschmidt.
Let the Red Sox get him and further become the very Yankees teams they despised for so long.
“Fatty” did have his foot where it belonged. “Dumbass” should stay in the base path.
Obviously you don’t know much about baseball.
The Yankees are likable… I have hated them for years, but this team isn’t as cocky or as full of themselves as previous teams. I still root against them though. Did you realize the Yankees have been in a world series every decade since the 1920″s? Only one chance left for this decade. They won every decade except the ’80’s.
Fatty is hitting about .100 since the All-Star break, but still in the lineup lol
When you say he’s hitting around .100, do you mean .245? You Yankee fans should watch some baseball sometime, you might learn something. But I doubt it.
Or were you referring to Greg Bird?
That’s why “Dumbass” was fined by the league.
Go “Fatty” Go. 2 RBI double!!!
Melchez, you were fined by the league? For what, dumbass? My guess is for not knowing where baseball players should be positioned.
Have you even seen a baseball game?
You’re an absolute moron
I haven’t seen many 1B have their foot in the middle of the bag that way and leaving it. Most will plant their foot on the side, or if they have to reach into it because they’re hurried, they’ll pick it up right away. That being said, Machado is an idiot for intentionally trying to cobra kai Aguilar. Not only could he have seriously injured Aguilar, but also himself in the play offs and during his contract year. The comments about not being Johnny Hustle”
… reek of entitlement. If he’s in a club house without strong veteran leadership or if he’s expected to be a leader, he’ll be a cancer and detrimental to the team.
SoCal, that is my point exactly. I believe that Machado ran into Fatty intentionally, but I also believe that Machado did it because of Fatty’s poor positioning. Fatty should know that anytime he plants his foot like that on the bag, he could get himself or the runner hurt. I think Machado was rudely and intentionally reminding him of that. Fatty should work on his positioning around the first base bag instead of his positioning at the McDonald’s counter. As for Machado being entitled, I have no idea. I do know that he has made some of the greatest defensive plays that I have ever seen, and that he is an offensive force.
Oh, and Melchez, you must not know baseball if you don’t know positioning and were so excited when Fatty got a lucky opposite field flick for a double last night. Stop commenting for awhile, learn some baseball, and then come back and state an informed opinion.
@Adam6710 We don’t need him.
Lucky? He did it twice in one night. LOL Shows how much you watch the game.
The Machado play was a routine out. He was out by a few steps. Machado wasn’t hustling down the line and wasn’t uncontrolled trying to be safe… he purposefully kicked the 1B. He did it intentionally. He had to go out of his way…. outside of the basepath and on the grass to do it.
twitter.com/twitter/statuses/1052429471821762563
I will gladly teach you more about baseball if you like.
SoCalBrave… what play are you talking about? Obviously not the Machado / Aguilar play because Aguilar definitely didn’t have his foot in the middle of the bag.
“I haven’t seen many 1B have their foot in the middle of the bag that way and leaving it.”
Two more chances I believe since it’s my understanding decades go from 01 to 00
Melchez, you just prove the point that almost everyone thinks they know the game of baseball, but, in truth, he or she is clueless. I bet you’re one of those little league parents whose kid can’t throw, hit, or field, yet thinks their kid should be pitching/playing shortstop and batting third.
You keep bringing up things about Machado, but that’s not the point. You also mention that Fatty gets some hits every now and then, but that’s not the point. The point is that Fatty plays a very poor first base and had his foot positioned wrong on the bag. Then when Machado let him know and the Brewers lost the game, the Brewers whined about Machado instead of telling Fatty to learn how to play the field.
Machado IS the point. You keep blaming the collision at first on Agillar. Machado was the one that was fined. Machado was the one that was criticized for running into Agillar. It wasn’t Agillar. Machado was out. He was in trot mode from the moment he left the batters box. He had plenty of opportunity to avoid Agilar’s foot. Instead he purposefully kicked Agillar’s foot. The replay’s show it again and again.
I’m sorry if you need to insult other people for their weight.. Does it make you feel better insulting Aguillar when everyone knows he’s a better athlete than you?
No, just one…. they go from 00 to 09… 10 to 19…
Melchez, you’re just an idiot. I didn’t blame the collision at first on Fatty. Just read my comments. I merely point out that he is not entirely blameless. I believe Machado intentionally ran into him as his way of telling Fatty to learn how to play the game correctly. Machado, as the runner, is entitled to the base. Fatty needs to learn how to play correctly.
To keep going with the truth that you’re an idiot, MLB fining someone does not mean that someone was completely at fault nor at fault at all for that matter. The same goes for criticism being said for someone’s actions.
And to complete this comment and further cement your status as a grade A idiot, again, if you read my comments, you’ll know that I am not insulting other people for their weight. I’m only pointing out that Fatty is a completely out of shape professional athlete who doesn’t know how to play the game properly. But, why should he get in shape or learn how to play the game properly when there are idiots like you to defend his fatness and improper play?
Oh, and learn how to spell Fatty’s name, you idiot!
Like I said… Machado had plenty of room to step on the base. He chose to purposefully kick Aguillar, that’s why Machado was fined. It was entirely Machado’s fault. Machado was trotting down the line from the time he left the batter’s box… he intentionally kicked an opposing player.
That’s it.
No one cares about how you peaked in little league. You’re a couch potato that wants to troll a baseball site. We get it. You can talk tough on an anonymous chat site, but in reality you’re just a weak pos.
Good night.
Melchez, thanks for proving once again that you’re an idiot. You didn’t address anything that I said. You just repeated your stupid and incorrect opinion and spewed hate. Have fun making America great again!
P.S. What did Fatty do in game 7? Just curious as I couldn’t reach the remote from my couch so I missed the game.
I didn’t bother reading your drivel. I really care what you wrote.
Should be a great world series. Two stories franchises with deep benches and solid starting pitching. Looking forward to this.
His antics remind me of the crap A-Rod pulled while a Yankee…he will fit right in!
It does kind of feel that he’s auditioning for the Yankees right now.
Don’t relegate Arod and Machado as Yankees who would fit right in. Both of them are A holes who really don’t deserve ( or didn’t deserve) to be Yankees. The Yanks have way too much class to be mentioned with either of these jerks.
Not sure—despite a few likable clubs—the Yankees have a historical reputation for having “class” when it comes to signing reputable guys/characters.
Like when they signed Chapman?
Don’t forget about both when they traded for Chapman and then traded him. The Dodgers were about to get him, then the domestic violence stuff came out and the Dodgers said no way. Yankees were like, meh, sure he fired 6 shots in his house during an argument, but can he win us a championship? We’ll take him.
Then they turned around and traded him to the Cubs and got Torres + plus for him. Nah, I don’t see the Yankees as classy. They buy championships and care more about winning and being clean shaven than whether their players are “classy”. They’ll get Machado and he’ll fit right in.
I’ll take some bad PR to get Gleyber Torres for free.
It is going to KILL me to write this: But this 2017-2018 Yankees team is hard to hate when I see how they play. So on that part I agree; but where I disagree: The earlier Yankees teams (1990s-2010s) were perceived as elitist divos – right or wrong.
I’m pretty sure every team has some bad eggs. It’s come with the territory in professional sports. Entitled players who have been catered to their entire lives. Pick a team and I’m guessing people here can point out a dirtbag from recent memory.
“Deserve”? Every team has had prima donna jerks. Every. Single. One. No team is above that.
This is a franchise that had Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin and Roger Clemens… Are you sure you want to call the Yankees “Classy”?
Again, I was no A-Roid fan but his ego and hijinks like running behind a fielder and yelling or slapping at the ball didn’t hurt anyone other than himself with embarrassment.
Agreed.
I did not agree to my own comment folks. It posted out of order.
+dewey
thats why i specify who im replying to after reply 2-3 so it doesnt get confusing
Begamin, great idea which I sometimes do. Obviously, not enough and I’ll try to keep this in mind. Thanks.
Seconding the entire rant. Well put.
Except A-Rod’s attitude and decisions didn’t jeopardize opposing players’ health. MLB needs to sit him down with his agent and union rep to explain another incident will not be tolerated. A “small” fine is not going to do it.
Can’t have Manny’s ego colliding with Stanton’s, and than there’s the whole Sanchez thing to deal with.
Right now Yankee fans are in love with Manny.
If he signs with them, those same people will be booing him within 2 years.
He’s an All-Star jaker, and a poor SS.
If the Yankees let him go, Didi will outperform Machado to such a point that anti-Yankee fans will be in hysterics.
Hi Sam,
I don’t want MM.
I don’t think highly of him in any way, shape or form!
Count me as another Yankee fan not in love with Machado. Rather keep Andujar at 3rd, defensive warts and all, until he can be moved to 1st or the outfield, or DH.
Defensive warts and all. I said months ago I was worried that Devers’ glove would cost Boston the championship and while his defense has been costly, his bat has been another key on the Sox ring to success. Question, five years from now will Andujar and Devers be talked about like 20 years ago when the discussion was about Jeter, A-Rod and Nomar? Doubt they both will be playing 3B but both clearly have a solid bat.
+Dewey
You can improve defense at a better rate in later years than you can improve your bat. Both Devers snd Andujar can become solid defenders in time. Maybe not Gold Glovers, but solid nonetheless. Its much harder to develop batting skills once youre already at the majors.
Begamin, agreed. Perfecr historical Red Sox examples were Boggs and Rice. Boggs became a well above fielder and Rice learned how yo play the wall and greatly overall improved.
Machados on field antics and lack of hustle, even chided by jim palmer will severely limit his market. Cubs, Mariners, Braves, Cleveland and Cardinals don’t need Milton Bradley 2.0
Leaving only the Dodgers and perhaps marlins.
Or Jose Offerman
His daughter is hot.
Wow! You’re right!
Just don’t piss her off when she has a bat in her hands
Wow…comparing Machado to Bradley is wildly exaggerate. I’m not defending Machado’s actions and I, being a Yankee fan, hope that we avoid trying to sign him and focus more on Harper. That being said, it may give some team pause but if they really want him then it won’t really matter. It’s not like domestic abuse, steroids, roid rage, racist comments, etc.
Out of curiosity, why Harper over Machado? Machado has been much more consistent in his career and having him at third would give the Yanks the opportunity to move Andujar to 1st
We have, what I feel, are more than capable players at 3b (Andujar), 1b (Voit) and I feel that @ SS we can afford to go with a glove first option like Adeiny. Or they can slide Torres to SS and retain Walker to play 2b. I also have hope that Andujar will use this off-season to try and improve his glove work at 3b.
If the Yanks have a “real” need it’s a lefty LF. and starting pitching. Harper satisfies both. the left-handiness and can play an acceptable LF. He DOES strike out a bit too much and I do feel like that’s an issue for the Yanks but being able to role out a line-up of Hicks/Judge/Harper/Stanton/Sanchez/Voit/Andujar/Torres would be amazing, on paper. I also think Harper will draw some attention and heat away from Stanton whom I think will have a great 2019. But if healthy, they can have three 40-homer teammates.
Andujar isn’t a capable 3B, if he was, he would not have been benched when it counted most, in the playoffs – end of story.
Just want to chime in, about first base. I honestly feel like they are gonna give Greg Bird another shot in Spring Traaining. And I feel like he will give them something to really think about. The kid is good, really good. He got hurt came back maybe still hurt and tried to make up for a half lost season and pressed. And I think Voit played a little over his head a la Shane Spencer, (I hope I’m wrong) With the two I feel like they are set at first.
“And I think Voit played a little over his head” He played way, way over his head. Greg Bird is a total bust, and they need to move on from that anchor.
Machado to Yankees, so he can play with their no class, no hustle and cheap-shot catcher.
Because he was in Baltimore. It’s like Stanton in NY. Pressure and Press.
You’re not a capable commenter and you’re barely tolerated only by your West Coast California A’s guys!
Andujar, to your chagrin is in line to be ROY……there are many players across the league these days who can”t play defense but are tolerated because of their offense.
End of Story!
Most team HRs in MLB history and the Yanks are sitting at home cheering for the Astros — pitching is kind of important.
I think it’s quite possible for a rookie to improve his play. A lot of rookies went from below average to decent fielders and that’s all he needs. I’d rather use that money on pitching and possibly Harper since we need a LH bat and have a possible opening in LF.
Guys like you tick me off a bit. Voit isn’t going to hit 60 homers next year and no one is expecting him to. But if you look at his minor league career he showed exactly what he can do in the majors in terms of power to all fields (he hit quite a few hrs to RF and he hit just as many homers on the road) and the ability to draw a walk. He probably won’t be a .300/.400 guy but I can certainly see him hitting .275/.360 with 25+ hrs. If he was a top rated rookie and did what he did there would be higher expectations. The majors are teeming with players who were NOT top 100 prospects who ended up being high impact players. Voit isn’t a guy drafted at 18 who languished in the minors for 6 or 7 years bouncing from team to team. He was drafted in 2013 at age 22, put up solid power/BB numbers, made his mlb deuted in his 4th year in the minors, struggled a little bit and came into his own with the Yanks. There’s so much more information available today than there was in the 90’s and he’s doing exactly what Cashman and his analytics team thought he can do. Many thought he was a throw in and the international pool money was the main asset but Cashman stated they had been watching him for a couple of years. Unless something huge happens, then he deserves to be the favorite for the 1b job.
As for Bird, he’s certainly struggled this year and doesn’t deserve to start but where’s this anchor you’re talking about? He’s cheap and has a couple more years of control. He’s not blocking anyone. Let him start at AAA and work his way back into the majors with the Yanks or maybe they can trade him elsewhere for another fatigued prospect.
Voit is not half the player he was for the Yankees this year. I wish him the best, but anyone expecting what he did this year in NY is setting themselves up for failure.
SLEVIN.
Absolutely Agree!!
That lightening in a
bottle lit up everyone and everything, but he and Bird
will fight it out in spring
training.
What I loved about Voit,
he was so consistent and
just so exciting and that
is what we needed while
some players were on the mend!
South,
Y U P
You’re not basing that on anything remotely valid. However, no one is expecting him to do what he did over the course of 162 games. What I expect, and stated, was that a .275/.350 slash with 25+ homes are realistic expectations. He had what, 16-17 in about 60 games? Is another 10 in another 100 games unrealistic? He’s cheap and gives the Yanks an opportunity to save money at that positing and upgrade elsewhere. We can still have Andujar practice playing both 3b and 1b and adjust later if needed.
When I think about Voit, I think about another former Card 1B…. and not Pujols. I think of Allen Craig. He was supposed to be the next Pujols. He had a couple solid years but then faded. You could probably say the same thing about Matt Adams.
To improve the team, a defense first, clutch hitter second ala Mitch Moreland would improve the Yankees the most. They have enough power and with DiDi hurt and Andujar at third, the saved errors alone that a Moreland type makes IMHO is more valuable than anything else.
Im not calling machdo will be a roid rage wife beater yet, but bradley had no hustle and was more concerned with his antics than playing the game cleanly.
apart from the 1st base play, machado did grab at the fielder on 2nd base which mlb changed the rule 2 years ago with the mets and posey saying the players cant physically make contact with the fielder going off the bag. and machado did it anyway.
Bradley wasn’t a “dirty” player he was just an imbalanced personality. On days he behaved as if he were a kid deprived of their Ritalin. I do think he intensly wanted to win but was just mentally incapable of keeping it together over a full season.
Milton Bradley believes dinosaurs do not exist. If anything he should have been admitted to a mental health facility several times over, or sent back to high school.
Dinosaurs are extinct…
Imbalanced personality is an understatement. He tore his ACL arguing with the umpire. He is the reason there are braces on beds in mental wards.
Lots of haters out there today Eileen….you just keep slinging it as lots of what you’re talking about makes good sense….much more so that much of what has been written by others!Wish
Omg Rocky, that was
so sweet of you, consider
yourself a good guy
gentleman. GGG.
Your posts are great too
and you have backed
me up and others when certain big mouths got on our
case.
I thank you for that
and won’t forget it, ever!
Because Harper doesn’t have any character related question marks?
No one is claiming any of these guys to be saints. However, with regards to Harper, what has he done to be viewed negatively other than argue calls? To my knowledge he hasn’t been seen as a dirty player or lazy or whatever.
I’m not a big fan of either but clearly, Harper is a better match because he fills a void. A lefty power bat who can play LF. If not him, then pitching, pitching, pitching and maybe bring back McCutchen or sign Brantley.
Harper doesn’t run hard to first base all the time either. Remember that incident with Papelbon? it was all because he filed out and he just trotted halfway to first and then detoured to the bench. He also doesn’t seem to give max effort on the field when their team is down. Flyballs that he should catch drop in front of him because he has a late jump, or just doesn’t run hard.
Yeah, it’s not going to limit his market as much as you think it will, if at all
No it wont lol. You honestly believe the yankees or phillies care at all about this stuff? All he needs is those 2 teams to want him and he’s good
I think if anything, the Yanks might want to evaluate whether or not he can handle the media and being appropriately contrite and responsible for his actions. Had he been a Yankee and made those comments it would’ve been extremely polarizing in the NY media. The one good think in his favor is that he seems to have a decent rapport with Arod, who has made his share of bone head decisions, and might be able to mentor him into how to handle the NY media.
The Dodgers will not be pursuing Machado as a free agent. They have that Seager guy coming back, and the rumors are he’s pretty good.
lol its 2018 who cares what jim palmers 73 year old carcass thinks
Typical trash from JTO…..why don’t you just go away!
Rocky you’re literally the most biased commenter on here.
agreed Rocky
I feel like most teams would accept some antics if they can get a .316/.409/.526 in the NLCS
Why would the cubs be out? They traded the farm for 3 months of Chapman and have yet to do anything with Russell.
No need to even mention Cleveland, no way on earth they try to get in the bidding war for this guy.
Manny’s season ended because of knee surgeries in 2013 and 2014. 2013 was a play at first base. Take your foot off the bag Aguilar. IMO what Aguilar did was either inexperienced (As any other 1B would have quickly went away from play after stepping on bag) or intentional. If the latter is true I see that as a basketball player missing a shot and running back to play defense and the defender stands in his way as a foolish act of dominance. I dont know thats the way I see it, Manny did do something wrong, but if the scenario above is true i’m ok with it.
You are nothing but a fanatic apologist. If you look at the play with open eyes you will see that Machado stepped on the right half of the bag with his right foot and dragged his left foot on the ground to make sure he would hit Aguilar on the ankle area. It is too bad that Machado did not get hurt in the process. Justice would have been carried out. I assume that you did not see him grabbing Arcia’s leg with his left hand to stop him from throwing to first. No matter how good he is, I would not want him on my team. The same goes with Harper.
You seem like the typical old man yelling at cloud. What has Harper ever done? He seems to have the whole world against him for no reason. Dude was getting hit intentionally on the back as a rookie because of your dinasour attitude
Why do you bring up Harper?
“the same goes with Harper”
You assumed wrong. The play on Aguilar was interference, but it was not dirty. Spikes down. Hard slide. No intention of hurting Arcia. I can’t speak for everyone but some of are ok with hard slides made in the effort of breaking up a double play…. spikes down of course,
That wasn’t a hard slide. He was called out. He clearly looked down at the 1b bag and knew exactly what he was doing.
You mean that hand off into his leg for the 2nd time in thirty minutes? They could have challenged both and won both
Wrong. It’s only interference if there is an attempt to throw to first, which he did not do the first play, so it was not interference.
Here here!!!
Aguilar gave him half the bag! If he had touched the right side of the bag with his left foot we would not be talking about it.
Dude….Manny was already out and if you watch the video, he looked down as he was approaching the bag. He knew Aguilar’s foot was on the bag and he did it on purpose, He didn’t even try and deny it.
So, you’re telling us that the real culprit on the incident is Aguilar if he left his foot on the bag intentionally; the part that Machado didn’t raise his foot (a natural movement when running) and even dragged it to the left of the bag, it’s fine
Edit: this was a reply to txtgab
If it wasn’t clear, I noted above that Manny did do something wrong. The way I saw it was Aguilar had him out by a mile and did not make the slightest effort to move away from the play. Every other 1B moves their feet after the catch, my opinion is either inexperience or intentional. Altering Manny’s path at 1B is what led him to his season ending surgery in 2013.
So Aguilar intentionally wanted Manny to step on his foot/ankle with his spikes? Riggggghhhhhht.
Spikes? It was unethical at best, but it was not done with the intention of hurting. Spikes? Please.
Ok. my apology for saying he spiked him but clearly he kicked at his ankle and the tip of a cleat to your ankle still hurts and could’ve injured Aguilar.
I noticed that you wrote that “Manny did do something wrong”, but you also said “but if the scenario above is true i’m ok with it.”… so, if Aguilar did that intentionally, everything that Machado did, “is fine”
“Altering Manny’s path at 1B”? the path to 1st it’s not done on the left side of the bag
Yes, just in the same case as a defender in basketball doesnt move out of the way, I would be ok with Westbrook giving him a shoulder check. A technical foul would be called with which I agree with, but I would be ok with that action.
He reminds me of Cano,
don’t ya know, jogging to first base, and let’s not forget the lounge chair he was on chilling on when the Yanks came to bat.
I really hope they don’t spend that kind of money on Machado when they are in desperate need of quality
pitchers, and I mean more than 1. Geeze, they need
to offer Happ something, go for Corbin.
They need a few lefty hitters to balance out the lineup we all know, so wouldn’t playing Torres at SS, and getMurphy to play second, then maybe Harper. A girl can dream can’t she?
That would make more sense.
I feel that Machado is trouble, and I think he plays without heart. Didi
has heart and kills himself
no matter what he does!
Just Saying
what kind of beat poetry is this
Why are all the Yankee fans talking about not getting Machado or Harper as if one or both are acquired, it would nullify or even mitigate the Yanks pursuit of quality pitching. They know pitching upgrades are the top priority, but that doesn’t mean signing a big free agent position player is totally off limits. Signing Manny makes sense if the Yanks can get a trade for a frontend starter, using Andujar and maybe Frazier as well, in a package, and getting Harper makes sense because he is the best left handed hitter in a position where they have an opening and of course are in need of lefty hitters. So signing either or both is not outside the scope of possibilities, especially with DiDi not coming back before June maybe as late as September, which means they are in need of a SS for at least 3 months.
I really feel like they will trade for Bumgarner or DeGrom, sign Corbin, his family is dying to see him in pinstripes. And with a Machado and Harper who knows, they have the coin to sign the both of them, whether they do, we will see. If Machado is signed Ai really feel like Andujar will headline one of those trades, his value is high, and they are sour on his glove and arm. I could see him, Sonny Gray, who had good road numbers, and maybe Whitlock and Acevedo to San Fran, maybe it’s a more quality prospect, but along those lines. This really could be the Yankees biggest offseason ever. And that’s saying something
I would LOVE the Yankees to sign both Harper and Machado. Then they can have three huge egos on the team, spend $100 million on three positions, and still miss the World Series. This is typical George Steinbrenner talk here. The way the Yanks won back in the 1990s was with homegrown talent mixed with some solid vets. They actually have that now. I don’t even like the Yankees but I hope they play it smart and realize they have plenty of offense and should focus on other things like SP.
Nothing wrong with that approach…but it is exciting to acquire a big free agent, and most would have to admit, if their team could do it, they would want that move made.
$$$$
Yankee,
Simple, Machado is a dirty
player with no heart, his cup of tea is NOT Running out a throw to first, he is not a great SS and they really don’t need another righty in the lineup and read my post again along with JTO!! The Yanks need balance I stated.
I never said no Harper.
PS I am a great poet!!
If the Yankees sign Machado, it’s to play 3rd, not SS. They know an Andujar/Torres left side of the infield is a disaster waiting to happen. Harper has also shown a lack of hustle at times, and Machado is a much more consistent player overall
Meanwhile, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia says that these public developments dovetail with other concerns from some in the Phillies organization, in addition to posing problems given the Philly fanbase’s predilection for lunchpail-toting athletes.
This sentence is WAYYYY to Oxford for me. What the hell is it even trying to say? This isn’t just snark, I really can’t make sense of the “lunchpail-toting”. I’m assuming there is a figure of speech I’m missing here.
“Lunchpail-toting” refers to blue-collar type of personalities. Or as “blue collar” as a multi-millionaire can be.
Ah, thanks, that makes sense now.
I take offense to what machado said about hustle but I also get what he is saying this is a guy who has had two severe knee injuries while running the bases if I’m not mistaken
Am I the only one who doesn’t care one bit about Machado (or any player) not hustling on every routine grounder?
Guys like Machado are game changers and their talent is elite. I’m okay if he doesn’t want to sprint down to first when he’s gonna be out by 10-15 feet at full speed.
Seriously. I remember Barry barely reaching 1B for not even jogging out a very high pop up. People are acting like they wouldn’t want Bonds and his .600 OBP on a team
Still horrifying and disgusting a .480 OBP and 1.045 OPS could not get Bonds a job the following season. Probably the worst thing that’s happened in MLB since the strike.
It probably had little to do with the numbers and everything to do with the Balco investigation. Oh, and the steroids.
Txt
or his Roidsmania and fake HR record!!
I care very little about the hustle but I care a whole lot about him attempting to injure other human beings for no reason at all other than bitterness. That is a serious personality flaw that probably presents itself in other areas.
Well, yeah. That’s a different conversation.
But people freaked out about the comments about hustling. It literally doesn’t matter. Machado is a generational talent. And say what you want about his attitude, the way he plays, and his antics. But the fact he doesn’t waste his energy running out a ball he has less than 1% of beating out, I’m not gonna waste my energy being upset.
It’s all good to feel that way until the lack of hustle possibly leads to a team loss. See Gary Sanchez.
Sanchez was injured on that play, and physically unable to run hard. But don’t let the facts stop you from taking cheap shots at the team you’re supposedly a fan of.
South,
Ya just read my mind afain, excellent point!!
I didn’t say that Sanchez was lazy. He was on the field, failed to run out the play and cost us the game. That’s factual. An injury may well have been the cause but it didn’t stop fans and the media from lambasting him. If that’s how they treated Gary why should Manny get a pass in action or in his attitude? I honestly don’t expect them to hustle on plays where they can be thrown out by several feet but God forbid if you end up pulling a “Sanchez” especially in THAT situation, at the end of a game with a runner in front of you and you have a shot at winning the game. Saying you won’t hustle is the worst thing you can say. In sports we always talk about who had heart, a motor, scrappy, gamer, competitor. It’s not a good statement nor attitude he showed. He would earthen alive in NY if he had that approach to the game and the media.
I’m not saying you have to run all out on a ground ball. However, Sanchez did the same thing after coming off the DL with a hamstring injury and he was roasted for not running out a GB. You can’t blast one guy and let another slide. And you surely shouldn’t be defensive about nor say that “hustling” is part of who he is. That just sounds like something a vet of 6 years should know better to say to anyone, let alone during a media interview.
Yes true, so 1 of those is 1 too many on a young team. Hard pass for the Yankees.
The people who blasted Sanchez are even more stupid than the people blasting Machado. At least Machado was physically able to run hard. Sanchez wasn’t.
Here in LA we’ve seen him nearly turn a double into a single a couple of times and he’s only been here since July. That isn’t a lack of hustle, it’s just poor baseball playing, for which there is no possible excuse. I won’t try to judge his personality or whether he’s a good person, because I don’t know a thing about that. But I can judge his focus on game fundamentals. I want to see players with that in addition to talent. Maybe even more so.
Meh, I call BS to that. There’s no sliding scale for effort as it relates to talent. So as a rookie progresses through his career he get’s to hustle a little less as each year passes and his number improve.? What a great message to send the young guys coming up in the sport.
As a Dodgers fan, his antics are tiring and an unwelcome distraction from a season I very much enjoyed watching. If the argument is that he shouldn’t hustle because he’s been injured in the past then he has no business demanding a contract where he plays shortstop as that position requires range and flexibility.
Is he talented? Sure, but as that talent fades the antics will likely remain and become less forgivable by the current apologists. MM in 2024 sauntering down the basepath while hitting .240 might not be so charming… especially while collecting 30mil.
I don’t know. In nearly every industry, we let things slide based on production. You’re okay with the salesman who brings in 10x the orders to take off early for his son’s games or to go to the golf course, why? Because he’s damn good at his job, and anyone else around would allow him to do that. You wouldn’t want to lose him.
In a similar vein, I have no problem with the guy who has been instrumental in the team’s postseason run leaving a little left in the tank.
Not to mention, this wasn’t even on a close play or in a crucial moment.
Say what you want about Machado and his antics. I’m tired of them. But to be upset or think your team wouldn’t want this guy because he didn’t run out an automatic out… give me a break.
First off, no out is automatic. That’s why it is important to hustle.
Second, if I managed my business that way and treated any one of my 140 employees with different standards I would likely get sued for discrimination. It’s perfectly fine to reward performance but you don’t look the other way when your star craps the bed just to keep them happy. Doing that invites a workplace with low morale and eventually deteriorates the overall production of the team.
By the way, I wouldn’t be upset with the Dodgers resigning MM but I would hope that Roberts would have the stones to bench him when he pulls that crap. That’s what good bosses do.
Roberts benched Bellinger when he was dogging it. He’s benched Puig more than once for mental mistakes. The philosophy of the organization is nobody gets special treatment. I am certain Roberts has had serious conversations with Machado about what is expected of him but of course his leverage is pretty limited in the postseason and I’m sure Machado knows it. Machado isn’t coming back to the Dodgers next season so this is a short term issue for this team, but it will be a longterm issue for somebody else.
White Sox wouldn’t care about any of this.
Tom Gamboa would agree.
Seems to me that players named Manny are all strange.
Especially that Manny Mota. What a weird dude.
“Predilection for lunch-pale toting athletes”… pure gold.
Start fitting that man for his PINSTRIPES!
More like jail stripes
Ken, list what actual laws Machado has broken.
Cereal, do you want Manny on the Yanks. Your opinion is much needed more so now then ever? I’ll wait…..
Assault with a deadly weapon for throwing his bat at another player. You forget about that one?
lolol
Sliding into 1st base has been scientifically proven to not be better than sprinting through the bag, so he’s got a good point there.
How a man that is proud of not hustling is so coveted for his bat I get but I am still saddened
bat AND glove – Machado is a superstar, and they don’t have to do high injury risk moves like trying to leg out singles, or else they end up on the DL way too much, like Harper.
You gotta view it like: sure, running into walls shows you are committed to a play, but being on the bench/DL for the next 40 games proves that play is not worthwhile.
ask that to Kemp after the wall crash He wasn’t the same
There is a difference between smart and lazy
Yeah sliding head first into first base can be a bad idea, ask Kenny Lofton
If you pay anyone at any job 300 million or more, yes I expect him to slide, run, and be smart enough to keep it to himself. Can you imagine Manny and Puig in Philadelphia or New York.
L O L. NO
It’s pretty crazy they would spend $250-300 money on an infielder when they could use it more effectively on starting pitching. Plenty of O even if Didi misses half a season
KD,
My sentiments exactly and I expressed it many times, but for some reason no one gets, it, well you do.
I get too much slack for expressing myself, lol, oh yeah wait, forgot I am a woman posting views.
Shocker that Boras mouthpiece John Heyman would mention the big money Yankees as a legitimate suitor for Boras client Machado. Obvious hack is obvious.
Machado is a punk, but he’s the kind of punk fans tend to be OK with because he’s a great player.
A GM would be wise to wonder about his attitude getting worse after he gets paid, though. If he’s this big of a jerk BEFORE getting nine figures, the attitude isn’t likely to get better after he gets them.
Astros literally coveted a closer enough to trade for him AFTER he was suspended for beating his wife. “Being a jerk” on the field doesn’t come near the same stratosphere as punching a woman in the face. Literally no team cares about his “attitude”.
And Manny hasn’t been caught with PEDs. He’s the kink of entitled jerk who will make a handful of disgraceful plays a year and a whole lot of really good ones.
Most fans of any team will overlook a handful of outbursts for consistent production.
The only legitimate question, IMO, is whether a guy who already doesn’t hustle or listen will get even worse with a huge contract already signed.
Whatever… he’s a “punk”. He’s a millionaire punk, who played 162 regular season games this year, and was better at his job than you in every last one of them.
But he’s a “punk” because you don’t like the way he goes about being better than you.
WTF kind of logic is that? What does trying to take the first baseman out, or something like throwing his bat over third base while with Baltimore have to do with being better at his job?
Huh? He’s a great player, but still a punk. He’s wealthy by virtue of the industry in which he has found himself in, and the natural talents he possesses that teams need to make billions of dollars.
I for one can say I am just as good at my job as he is at his, I am simply not fortunate enough to work in an industry where the starting pay is half a million dollars.
And I work my butt off, I hustle, I am never afraid to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty no matter how much higher I rise in my career; I do the business equivalent of running hard to first.
He’s a punk. And he’s lucky he’s so talented that teams will still line up to give him hundreds of millions of dollars. Very few jobs would ever put up with that kind of attitude.
Gutter
He’ll still get paid but for a guy who never topped 100 rbis TIL this year and justvlast year batted .259 with an obp of .310 I think someone is going to be disappointed a few years into that contract.
I agree that someone will eventually be disappointed in that contract. His .335 career OBP isn’t elite, and neither are his on-field antics. But why are you holding his lack of RBI’s against him? He can’t control how many people are on base when he gets a hit.
And good luck tomorrow, hope you can pull it off at home.
I agree with your conclusion but not with your premise.
Teams don’t pay for RBI’s anymore (well, unless you’re the Orioles or the Giants, but even those teams appear to be modernizing).
“Give me $400 million, but…don’t expect me to hustle. I am who I am.”
And don’t expect him to play 3rd base either, despite easily being his best position.
He’s on the record saying he’s willing to go back to third.
Okay, so I guess you would rather give $400M to someone who’s gonna run all out to first every time, but can’t field or hit as well as Machado?
….cause if that’s the case, and you have $400M to give me, I can do that.
There is no way that either Manny or Harper will get $400 mil. They have elite talent but are NOT consistent. Also, it’s not a very large market for either.
I think teams will try and stymie the market on big contracts once again this winter.
You’re right, big difference between an elite talent, and a generational talent
For whom,
You forgot that’s not my cup of tea!!!
I’m now thinking the Yanks will stay away from Machado and Harper, they could put them in a bind down the road. Instead I can see Cashman landing 2 starters in Corbin and either Happ/Ryu/Eovaldi and resigning Robertson and another relief pitcher. A player like Marwin Gonzalez would solve their short term position problems.. He can play in any of their weak spots.
This actually makes me like Machado a little more. Not enough to want him on the Yankees (because he doesn’t fit, the Yankees have good, and much cheaper, options at third and short, plus they don’t need another right handed hitter, they’re loaded with those already), but pointless hustle isn’t what wins games. Skill does.
The hustle is for the rubes who want the cheap emotional high. Machado won’t give an emotional hand job to the fans of whichever team sings him, but he will win games for them.
Hustle can absolutely win games. Running hard to first and forcing an infielder to rush a throw can get you a game winning run.
Skill and hustle are not mutually exclusive. If a team is going to pay him $300M+ he should do both.
Machado will hurl helmets if he’s tagged with minimal force. Fact.
On a side note….the real controversy the media should be paying more attention to is the putrid umpiring on international display. Although Verlander decided to hang one to JD Martinez, no professional umpire can miss an obvious strike like the pitch before. That was awful. The whole playoffs have been awful. This has been a recurring theme year in and year out.
Yes, nothing will be done. We know why. Still, the umps need to be better.
Cardinals, please, please stay away from Harper and Machado!
Manny Machado is demonstrating reprehensible sportsmanship and absolute classlessness at a time when he should be demonstrating that he’s worthy of being a main attraction of his future team. Just imagine what his behavior will be when he’s drawing an enormous paycheck and needs to prove nothing. I believe this is an omen to any GM considering acquiring him.
Yankees want him then in that case.
Yankees: Pitching First – Second – Third
Left handed on base guys consistent hitters not more homerun hitters. Corbin nice pick up and another inning eater. Temp fix at SS….. NO MANNY NO HARPER
I think they need more than a “nice pickup” and an “innings eater”. They need a solid #1 or #2.
Severino/Tanaka/Corbin/Montgomery/Innings Eater is not going to win them a championship.
Machado is nothing but a punk. Next year he will still be an overpaid punk who doesn’t give effort and will take any cheap shot he can. The only difference between this year and next will be some other sucker will be stuck with his overpaid ass and still won’t have a championship to show for it.
Exact!!!
Lotta hot takes up in here
Please go to the Yankees
Signed… redsox fans
machado makes puig look like a saint…
When did Puig ever do anything remotely like this? The answer is, never. And the only kind of dogging he’s ever done is hot dogging.
So what was the point of this remark?
Only thing Puig has ever been guilty of is playing with too much passion. With that said I look forward to seeing what Puig can do next year with the Dodgers before he hits free agency.
Manny is an ingrate and acts like a little boy.
Yankees caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to Manny. With Didi out, it looks like they need to pursue Machado. He may turn out to be another Reggie Jackson.
I’d drill Machado tonight if I’m the Brewers. First pitch …no fooling around.
Wouldn’t hurt my feelings
I would not be surprised if the umpire warns both benches at the start of the game, just on account of this kind of talk. In fact it would be the right thing to do.
The drilling will come sometime next season. When he least expects it.
Hey Yankees, can we not get Manny? Thanks.
((guys im sure cashman is gonna see this one ))
In all seriousness, Manny is too expensive and Didi isnt injured forever. In my opinion they could sign a cheaper middle infielder if they really want to but they should focus solely on pitching. Torreyes has shown many times to be able to fill a hole left by an injured infielder. Let him do it once more. Offense is fine, pitching is not. Spend the money on pitching and let the Phils spend 300M+ on Machado
Manny keeps doing dumb crap to show his immaturity. Get under his skin Brewer fans!
The Yankees and Machado concocted this whole thing to square other GMs from bidding on him to drive up the price. They plan on offering him $325MM anyway, a price even the Dodgers can’t stomach.
“I like to get a lot of money for not doing a lot of work”
Typical Cashman and one shot wonders in the front office chasing after ball players who’s batting average is lower than the Mendozza line.