Manny Machado completed a three-city tour of potential landing spots in Philadelphia today, where he met with the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park and was taken to dinner by several key members of the organization (links via MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki and Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia). Owner John Middleton, president Andy MacPhail, GM Matt Klentak, manager Gabe Kapler and several members of Kapler’s coaching staff were on hand to try to sway Machado toward coming to Philadelphia.
Machado, as one would expect, was vague when approached by the Philadelphia media and asked about his at Citizens Bank Park, telling reporters that the experience was “pretty awesome” and that he “learned a lot about the organization.”
The Phillies, Zolecki writes, prefer Machado to fellow free agent Bryce Harper. Salisbury indicates the same, portraying Harper as a more realistic target should the Phillies miss out on Machado. He adds that the Phils “seem willing” to outbid the Yankees and make the highest offer for Machado. Joel Sherman of the New York Post agrees, calling it a “near certainty” that the Phillies “and possibly even the White Sox” are willing to bid more on Machado than the Yankees. Per Zolecki, the Phils have maintained confidence that they can convince Machado to sign in Philadelphia despite the fact that they’d play him at third base while Machado’s preference remains to play shortstop. The Yankees, after all, will only have shortstop open for the first portion of the season before Didi Gregorius returns, and Fancred’s Jon Heyman again wrote Thursday afternoon that the organization “would love to keep” Gregorius beyond the 2019 season.
At this point, there’s no clear timeline on when Machado will reach a decision about his next team. The infielder himself told Zolecki and others that determining when to sign “is [his] agent’s job” and that he is “just enjoying the ride.” Yesterday did bring about a small flurry of free-agent activity — Trevor Cahill, Daniel Murphy, Joakim Soria and Anibal Sanchez all agreed to terms, while Andrew Miller is said to be close — but none of those deals will come close to approaching the magnitude of Machado’s eventual contract. With the holiday season at hand, there figures to be a lull in Hot Stove activity, so barring a quick decision on an already in-place offer, Machado’s free agency could well drag on into the New Year. There’s been no indication that any of the three teams with which he met this week has made its best and final offer — or any formal offer at all, for that matter.
Thus continues our long national nightmare.
Machado about nothing
Actually very well done.
Very good
Nice
Anyone who downvoted this is a fool.
Just the haters.
/applaud
Comment of the year
straight to the MLBTR Hall of Fame for this comment – cheers!
goat status.
You have won the internet and you have won our hearts
That is very hard to do
Perfect.
Not the first time I’ve heard this..but was a good comment..how long you been waiting to say that
Good one!!!
Ha — we’re not even that deep into his free agency yet. In terms of how long a free agent’s decision has dragged on with constant, daily updates, it would be hard to top Masahiro Tanaka from the 2013-14 offseason.
We are as far as other agent signings. Other players like pollock, grandal, Gonzalez, etc etc most likely won’t sign until Harper and Machado are off the table. So in retrospect, it’s a very slow winter. Probably going to be just as slow as last season if not slower (shoot me)
Yup
The baseball hot stove has become pretty emblematic of the game; slow and long, just like the games, and like the season itself (I’m not meaning to make this as negative as it sounds, I don’t know a more positive word for slow, but the slower pace of baseball is part of it’s charm).
Compare that to NFL or NBA free agency, which is a relative frenzy. NFL has teams standing at player’s doors at midnight.
Not sure which is better.
im happy were still enjoying baseball instead of having it all wrapped up a few weeks after the season ends.
i find the offseason just as fun as the regular season.
I agree – the baseball offseason tends to be better than inother sports. However, the last few years the winter meetings have been anti-climactic and too many marquee players wait way too long to be signed. It would be nice to dictatorially create a deadline for signing.
Agreed.
I’ve had job offers during the interview process that came with a time limit.
No company wants to be held hostage.
Frankly, I believe MacPhail saw signing neither Machado nor Harper as a distinct probability.
Another year of Franco.
While I agree with you that the FA signings have been taking too long in this “newer” era of baseball there are two primary reasons for it. First off is the fact that MLB doesn’t have a salary cap like all the other professional team sports
The second reason is that MLB doesn’t rely on colleges to supply virtually all of their new talent like the NFL and NBA. Those latter leagues need more finite offseason schedules in order to coordinate their FA signing periods in with their college drafts. MLB has their annual draft in June that generally follows the conclusion of most college player seasons along with those of all high school stars. Unlike the NFL and NBA it also occurs during their own regular season.
The NFL also has their own annual “dog and pony show” following the conclusion of the Super Bowl to evaluate all those college players in Indianapolis before making their final selections later in April during their highly sensationalized 3 day draft. Their period of FA signings fall in between these dates for that specific reason. Of course, the NFL is the only sport that also doesn’t guarantee their contracts because of the higher instances of serious injuries.
As for the NBA, they have far less players than either the NFL and MLB. MLB will role out the “dog and pony” show for their superstars like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper but in the NBA this is magnified with FA’s sometimes collaborating on their final destinations.
Maybe methodical is a better word? I’m a fan of both MLB and the NFL. Football is like a battle, Tactical setup followed by violent resolution. Baseball is my old buddy with a long history and nostalgia, chillin’ with me every night keepin’ me company. Love em both in different ways…
ESPN presents “Harpchado the decision”
Uhhh.. I’ve decided to take my talents… and my lack of hustle to. ???
South Beach
Battered wife syndrome. Yankees fans have been beaten about luxury tax the last 4-5 years that they actually believe it matters. Red Sox got their 12M bill. Who cares?
The Yankees were paying a ton in luxury tax over the years. Not to mention they already give money in revenue sharing. That’s why they wanted to reset the tax
Yes, Yankees dropped below luxury tax for a single year after paying a total of $341 million in taxes the prior five years. I can see how a fan of the team would feel it was fair to consider themselves a victim on par with a woman being beaten by her husband.
Ok something on a different subject did anyone watch episode on MLB tonight with the surgeon and Leiter about the way we should start handling our kids with throwing to try and slow down our TJ epidemic. I thought it was very interesting how we should make deception more in deliveries then max effort in throwing
Excellent piece by Dr. Ahmad and Leiter, very informative. I like how Dr. Ahmad brought it back to parents and coaches of the younger kids. It’s nice to see that they’re trying to get out in front of it instead of just reacting to it.
There’s got to be more to it. Pitchers were throwing tons of innings in the 80s and before but we didn’t here so much about TJ surgery or pitchers being forced out of baseball. I don’t know the answer but it’s noticeable.How could they throw more innings but have fewer cases of arm related injuries?
Increased strength + max effort on every pitch. Just look at the amount of pitchers throwing 95+ MPH compared to years past. Obviously I haven’t done a medical study on it or anything like that, but there’s a pretty obvious correlation here…
^ Apparently someone on MLB Tonight finally made that correlation instead of just blaming breaking balls.
Has nothing to do with kids……..
Has to do with front offices putting a priority on K’s for pitchers; while at the same time demanding batters run up the pitch count by hitting foul balls. MLB FO’s don’t care about batters K’ing. And they demand pitchers have high K/9. So there is an epidemic of K’s. Why expect different?
This has resulted in ever longer game times; the ball being put in play less each year; with pitchers overthrowing and trying to put more spin on the ball stressing their arms, forearms and shoulders as they try to “miss the bat” and get the 3rd strike. THIS is what has been the cause of strikeouts going up each year; batting averages going; down; games getting ever longer; and an ever increasing epidemic of pitchers needing TJ surgery.
These K’s have resulted in boring games that have fans following the sport via TV highlights and their fantasy league statistics. There is only so many times a fan can sit through 2-5 minute AB’s that end in a K. Just about a managers only “strategy” moves left are pitcher/batter matchups and telling defenders where to stand – all dictated by numbers coming from the computer department. Mostly managers are in-house psychiatrists, motivators, and baby-sitters…..that are easily replaced if they don’t follow instructions.
Sooner or later the owners will realize that their managers and players are simply robots carrying out programmed dictates. The fans know nothing about strategy and the finer points of the sport such as hit-and-runs, steals, hitting to the opposite field, taking an extra base, etc. – as short of the Royals and sometimes the Cardinals, teams get away from playing real baseball more each year. One would think that the injured pitchers they’re paying millions and tens-of-millions to each year would wake them up.
southbeachbully….
The difference is twofold. When Carlton, Morris, Jenkins etc were young they were not pushed by parents and coaches like kids are today. The had a childhood that included baseball, not a baseball life without much of a childhood. Kids didn’t pitch on multiple teams or year round like those in MLB now and those coming up.
Some numbers on youth pitching.
45% pitched in a league without pitch counts or limits
43.5% pitched on consecutive days
30.4% pitched on multiple teams with overlapping seasons
19% pitched in multiple games on the same day
13.2% pitched competitive baseball for more than 8 months per year
https://www.mlb.com/pitch-smart/
It’s a shame that there are still those who think their kids should get TJS before an injury because they will throw harder (false) or that it prevent future injuries (also false)
One other big difference if you listen to many old school pitchers….they didn’t throw with max effort on every pitch. They relied on control, changing a batters eye level, using the whole strike zone and saving enough for a complete game or extra added heat when needed.
Samuel….some of your points are valid bout your initial statement “Has nothing to do with kids” is wrong.
Nice job Cat
@ Cat Mando;
OK – Modify it to……
“Has little to do with kids”.
If these kids are straining the forearms, arms, shoulders, etc. 5-10 years before signing a professional contract –
1. Why didn’t they need TJ surgery as teenagers?
2. How did they pitch well enough to get a professional contract when they were doing damage to their body?
3. At the cost of players today, the technology and microscopic attention they get from multiple disciplines every ML organization employs, how did no one realize the player was at risk?
—-
You also wrote this:
“One other big difference if you listen to many old school pitchers….they didn’t throw with max effort on every pitch.”
Agree. My point – FO’s are killing their assets as well as the sport. Don’t know why franchise owners do not hold them accountable.
Thanks Dads. There are plenty of valid studies, both medical and otherwise, to dispel so many TJS myths, but alas they are ignored. It’s almost an epidemic that starts with our youth but people ignore it. Many still believe that almost every MLB pitcher that goes through TJS comes back just fine and it just isn’t so.
Samuel….her is a little reading for you….start here ” Youth and high school age pitchers made up a negligible fraction of Tommy John surgeries at the American Sports Medicine Institute in the mid-1990s, but 25 percent of their Tommy John surgeries by the mid-2000s. A study of national insurance records showed that between 2007 and 2011, the number of Tommy John surgeries increased about 4 percent each year overall, but 9 percent per year among high school age pitchers. More than 50 percent of all Tommy John surgeries in that study were on 15- to 19-year-olds.”
A recent study, concluded just the past year if memory serves, by the ASMI raised that 50% to above 70%.
The damage starts as kid with the ligament stretching and we are not designed to throw over hand. Do you realize that UCL reconstruction surgery in the track and field world is called “Javelin Elbow”? Why do you thing that is?
Read https://www.mlb.com/pitch-smart and if you want more studies I will be happy to provide them.
NYC is crazy expensive, but CHI is right there. Philly probably the best bargain of the three
@ Cat Mando
That’s interesting, and I’m not discounting it.
But we are talking about TJ surgery in MLB.
All my point’s are accurate. The game has changed. So be it. I do have a solution, but it would be a (one) massive rule change that would immediately turn the tide. Not giving it out. Similar rule change was made in the early 1900’s when fans drifted away.
MLB has turned into these fad diets that come out each Spring. They work for a while….then things go wrong. Life is about trade-off’s and balance.
The graduate degree bean counters that have taken over MLB have utterly destroyed the balance between an art and a science. The art is on life-support.
Like horse racing, professional baseball will slowly disappear after a few more generations.
15 years. 2003-2017 is 341
My bad. You are correct.
And they had $6,000,000,000 in revenues over that time. Enough to fund a wall.
I think you are missing the point.
You are comparing being a Yankee fan to being a pathologically abused woman.
I’m not some humorless PC scold who can’t appreciate hyperbole. If you were talking about an Indians fan (virtually none of whom have been alive to see them win a World Series) or a Mariner’s fan (who have the longest streak of missing the playoffs in professional sports), or a Marlin’s fan (who haven’t been over.500 since 2009 with no end in sight), then fine.
But you are talking about the NY friggin Yankees. There is not a franchise in sports that it is easier to be a fan of. They are the gold standard franchise.
Yankee fans are not abused wives. They are spoiled children who think the planet is spinning off it’s axis if they “only” make the playoffs each year.
*mic drop*
I am not comparing Yankees fans to battered women. I am stating that they have a form of PTSD from being repeatedly inundated that the luxury tax was the most important thing in the world to get to the 2019 free agent class. Harper,Machado and Corbin would all be signed, but we need to reset our taxes.
Here we are at the free agent class and…. Well the menality is still the same. Need to worry about that luxury tax. Don’t be a social justice warrior, they’re the worst.
We truly must be in the bizzaro world, because I agree with you again.
The event horizon is near.
What are luxury taxes used for?
They go into the middle of the game board for the next player who lands on free parking.
Probably my favorite comment so far.
This has been a solid comment section
@ChiSoxCIty per wikipedia “The first $13 million will be used to defray clubs’ funding obligations under the MLB Players Benefits Agreements. Of the remaining sum, 50% of the remaining proceeds collected for each Contract Year, with accrued interest, will be used to fund player compensation as described in the MLB Players Benefits Plan Agreements and the other 50% shall be distributed to clubs that did not exceed the Base Tax Threshold in that Contract Year.”
Yup.. and they get to look at the trophy and banner everyday for what amounts to what you’d pay a #5 starter or make in 10 games of parking revenue ..$50 per car x 25,000 cars.. = $1,250,000. X 10 games = $12,500,000. Then you spend the left over $500,000 on champagne and duck boat rentals..
I’m not convinced yet that the Yanks are insisting on staying under the lux tax this year. I think if they had to choose between Stanton/Harper/Machado that they would’ve chosen Harper or Manny. I think they are absolutely in on one of Harper or Machado but don’t want to pay $350-$400 million for either.
I do think that Harper is a better choice.
Which would make more of an impact?
Yanks + Manny – Andujar + assets spent to bring in a SS/2B/3b replacement
or
Yanks + Andujar + Harper + a glove first SS until Didi returns with Gardner as the 4th OF and Frazier in ST showing he’s healthy and worthy of being valued as he was prior to the concussion?
I think there’s more value added starting Harper in LF than replacing Andujar with Manny.
It just seems a waste to play 81 games at YS and not have a lefty power pat in the lineup other than Hicks.
Hicks
Judge
Harper
Stanton
Andujar
Sachez
Voit
Torres
SS
If Cashman had a real trade for a FOR starter identified then I think Andujar would already have been traded. I don’t want to see a situation where Didi returns and we move Andujar for a trade where his value isn’t maximized.
I wonder what his psyche is like with his name (and poor defense) being brought up every day with regards to Manny?
Yanks had similar concerns about Cano at one point stemming from his defense and perceived lack of hustle. I see Andujar as a LH version of Cano with hustle not being an issue but his defense being a concern..
I do think the Yanks will NOT be the highest offer on the table for either Harper or Manny. I think Cashman will make a competitive offer and hope that one of them will value playing in NY and being competing for a WS appearance every year will seal the deal.
I also can’t envision Cashman creating a drama filled environment by signing Manny, keeping Andujar and then dealing with Andujar’s future once Didi returns. a) there’s no guarantee he will come back this season b) will be nearly effective
If they sign Manny I don’t see how you can have Andujar on the team knowing that he;s going to be traded once Didi returns and is in full form. Seems like they would be inviting a divided locker room split between friends of either Miggy or Manny.
I don’t know why the Yankees want this guy. I would sign a stop gap SS maybe even Tulo and let Andujar play 3B
Next year go hard for Arenado. He is more of a $300 million player. Then see if you could switch Andujar to 1st or trade him for a SP next year.
The Red Sox will fall back their bullpen is in shambles and the better guys are falling off the board fast.
His numbers outside of coors don’t warrant 300 million (although his glove is elite). His career ops outside of coors is 787
Nolan Arenado is more worthy of a $300MM + contract than either Manny Machado or Bryce Harper. His OPS+ outside of Coors Field has improved in each of his last 3 seasons. He is the elite 3B in all of MLB and has zero baggage. He is currently the most impacting player in MLB after Mike Trout with Mookie Betts also in the conversation.
How is their pen in shambles after losing joe kelley- who wasn’t that good until post season- and Craig Kimbrel? They have a Kimbrel replacement in braiser. And most likely will trade for or sign 2 or so people.
From all the battles we had against Boston this season their pen wasn’t all that good all year, it’s that guys like kelly got hot in October. As such the guys they are loosing/lost don’t hurt imo
Seriously?
Kelly was decent during the regular season. He was far from the elite dominant set up man he was in the post season.
Braiser is a name but you can’t assume that he can take over the job of Kimbrel after just 30 IP at the mlb level at age 31. Plenty of guys have made the transition from middle inning or set up guy to closer but many have failed too.
Don’t know why you have 5 downvotes, but the comment is entirely logical. And yes, Red Sox pen is significantly weakened. How there is any counter argument otherwise (such as the commentator below, what?) then they just don’t understand baseball.
Weakened is not the same as decimated/in shambles. The pen wasnt just Kelly Kimbrel and the other guys. And significantly? Lol. No. They Still have Barnes braiser Velasquez and resigning Eovaldi means someone’s shifting to the pen- probably Rodriguez given his health issues, which would replace Kelly.
Didn’t see the word decimated used anywhere and yes, the Red Sox lost their two best bullpen arms. Any argument you make otherwise looks ridiculous. I’m not in the “what ifs” that you present as viable options.
Sorry, Joe Kelly is/was not EVER one of the Red Sox best two bullpen arms. Not even in the post season. Kimbrel was and will never be again as they will not resign him.
Braiser was better than Kelly last year lol. How was how Kelly their 2nd best when braiser Velasquez pitched better? Youre undermining your own argument by making outlandish statements that arent supported by facts.
If you post “water is wet” it will draw downvotes.
I’m still lobbying to see MLBTR remove this function. Both plus and minus. Doesn’t serve a purpose other than undermine the dialogue. It appears to be getting worse too. The other day one of the editors posted something and had like 15 downvotes.
Yeah, maybe replace with just upvotes?
Why do you guys even care?
I think the downvote function works well on certain sites that have a strong core of frequent commentors with a minimal amount of trolls and a decent amount of moderation to weed them out. When you let them go unchecked they feed off each other and it turns into the cesspool that it has been around here lately. The downvote is just another tool in the troll arsenal in such a situation
Can’t speak for everyone else, but I don’t care at all. When I was first posting here and drawing downvotes I would be looking at my comment trying to figure what I had written that was so offensive. Eventually figured out it was meaningless.
My initial comment above (water being wet) is now up to 4 downvotes. Why? I’m assuming it is for irony, but who knows.
ah yes.
the old “go for the bird in the bush” argument.
that one is so bad there’s an actual saying to help out the kids.
The Red Sox bullpen isn’t in shambles as long as they find a reliable closer. They have plenty of good arms and there bullpen will be just fine unless they don’t have that closer. I’m real skeptical that Barnes can step up and be the closer I hope I’m wrong but that looks like the way Boston is going at this point. I see no way they will bring back Kimbrel at this point. It will be interesting to see who emerges but barring a free agent closer acquisition I’m guessing Feltman makes the pen out of spring training and is there closer by the end of the year.
The Phillies will sign neither Harper nor Machado. Why would either want to play for Gabe Kapler?
We are honestly so far along in the offseason, that I don’t see Machado going to the Yanks. Why? Because it would require a few moves in my opinion, the biggest being a trade of Andujar. Almost everyone agrees that Machado is best used at 3rd. I think the Yanks have shown enough prudence, also considering their current payroll, to simply sign Machado for SS to wing it later on. Sure, at some point a month ago, the prospect of trading Andujar seemed real and then subsequently sign Machado, but it seems more and more unlikely at this point.
I have mixed feelings and most of mine are from the PR side of things. Forget the financial obligation. After a decade of the Yanks being fleeced in the media about this or that bad contract and now having a team that is fundamentally strong in every respect, I would hate to see them sign Machado and have some PR nightmare or albatross and read about it every day. Takes the fun out of the game and the Yanks can’t guarantee a good fit, then I want them to pass. I mean look at Stanton, dude had a very good (not excellent) year, first year and the fans had him on the gurney to the guillotine.
Harper still the better fit in my opinion. Makes more sense long-term. He also has had some exposure to media adversity.
I could totally see the Yanks coming out of this with neither player, which they absolutely don’t need and some nice complimentary pieces including more bullpen arms.
The irony is no teammate has spoken I’ll at all towards machado while Harper was choked by his own teammate
Some of us were pompous and overly confident/successful at age 22. I can actually relate. I was an arrogant F at the same age and was extremely successful in my own career. Doing things at 22/23 like a wiz, and at times didn’t hide the fact I knew my own abilities. From the character side of things, Machado strikes me as a weaker person, whereas once Harper continues to mature – let’s face it men generally mature later, I could see Harper putting up some colossal numbers in the next 3-4 years. What worries me, like any contract, is what happens in 8-10 year’s.
To be fair, Papelbon was the biggest douche in baseball
This.
Exactly. If anything that makes me think higher of Harper lol.
he was 66, but that day, Harper had it coming..
They don’t need to trade Andujar if they get Machado. Machado would play SS until Didi returns, then Machado 3B, Andujar DH, Stanton LF.
Sigh. That’s the “wing it” comment I made, which is pretty much what a $5Billion enterprise would be doing. You’re not maximizing Andujar’s value as a DH. You’re better trading him now and let a team build around him as a 3rd basemen (or make the attempt) as opposed to a DH.
Why would they worry about value if they are keeping him ?
Andujar at DH is maximizing his value. I would be fine trading him for an ace, but no interest in trading him just to trade him.
Sign Machado. Move Andujar to DH or first base.
Actually, with Andujar’s defense at negative WAR, you *are* maximizing his value at DH.
That’s assuming that there’s no way he can improve his defense to an acceptable level. If he were able to be a league average glove AND keep hitting the way he did then his value as a 3b would surpass his value as a DH. .
no trades needed at all. andujar plays 3rd and Machado ss until Didi comes back and trade andujar next off season.
Harper is a much worse fit. it isnt even close. one fills a position of need and upgrades the defense enough to make all the pitchers better and the other does not.
dont fail to look beyond handedness.
They can use him at SS and trade Andujar at the deadline in a package for a pitcher.
I honestly just want to know where they went to dinner last night. Philadelphia has some freaking damn good restaurants.
They just had a Philly reporter on MLB Radio and he said they went to a French restaurant. Don’t remember if he said the name, though.
I would recommend The Magic Pan.
if you like Asian, Sampan is amazing.
I mean, if you like Philly, and nobody really does.
whatever you say, buddyroo.
Royal Boucherie
LOL..was my thought also
Anywhere but them & Yankees
I think at this point the Phillies need Machado. If they do end up signing it’s going to set of a chain reaction of events. Franco will probably be flipped to San Diego first. If this signing goes down their roster is going to go through one hell of an overhaul this off-season.
The Phanatic will also be replaced by Gritty.
NEVER!!
Blasphemy
I saw the beat down Gritty put on Santa
I’d like to keep Franco, have Manny at short and Segura at 2b. Move Hernandez. I’d rather have Franco’s power in the lineup then Cesar at the top. Franco’s potential at his age isn’t being valued at the moment. I like Cesar too, but feel that this move would make a better lineup.
1 Segura
2 Herrera
3 Machado
4 Hoskins
5 Cutch
6 Franco
7 Alfaro
8 Altherr/Williams
9 P
I feel good about that lineup. Alot of pop 1-8
I’d like to think if they actually let Kingery play his normal position, 2B, his numbers would go up significantly. I’d also imagine the team defense would be a heck of a lot better with Machado at third, Segura at short, and Kingery at second.
I’m concerned about Kingery. Looked overmatched to my eyes. I’m not giving up on him but Cesar or Segura is a better idea imo, until we see what his development is like this year. I admit Franco is no Machado at 3B, but he can be spectacular at times too. I just think the guy has 30 HR potential and is just 26. I’d like to see another year of him before he’s moved…and if it matters, Machado wants to be a SS, maybe it helps seal the deal?
I will never understand why all of you people have nothing better to do than to bash on the Yankees. It is not their fault that they are willing to do whatever it takes to put a winning team on the field and most of the teams you guys route four or not.
Bitter fans of teams with bad ownership will do that
Who is bashing on the Yankees? I think it’s in your head bro
“Route, route, route for the home team…” sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I’ll show myself out
Hahaha. You forgot “four”. Maybe it’ll go fowl
Any team that signs this chump is lowering their standards and openly buying a multi million dollar piece of cancer. A player that purposely steps on a first baseman’s heels, purposely takes a longer back swing to hit the catcher, openly admits that he doesn’t hustle, and who knows what goes on in the locker or behind closed doors. Hopefully never again in Dodger blue!
1) purposely steps on a first baseman’s heels – Dbag move, obviously
2) purposely takes a longer back swing to hit the catcher – Much more common than you think
3) openly admits that he doesn’t hustle – Also VERY common, he’s just the only one dumb enough to say it out loud
His issues are severely overstated.
With all these interviews and plate appearances, Johnny Hustle will be even slower getting to first base.
Cool. Normalize bad behavior as much as you want. I don’t want him on my team. Half a season was more than enough for me. Looks like he’s put on a few more pounds since the end of the season too.
Once Manny digs deeper into the numbers, I think he will see just how far apart the numbers are, and ultimately how much money he is losing playing for the NYY.
NY has a higher tax on athletes than Philly, not sure about CHI. In addition, life in NYC just cost more, for just about everything. Sure he can afford to live anywhere on his predicted new contract, but the buying power of his money will be much less. I’d easily argue, that this is a low estimate, but the cost of living in NYC vs Philly/CHI is probably around 15% higher, for all the same stuff – apts, parking, restaurant, tooth paste, toilet paper etc. when you add it up, and if his agent is worth his salt, Manny will conservatively be walking away from, aka losing 75 million dollars if he we’re to sign with NYY for a “similar” offer from Phi/Chi. You could ask, does he want to pay the NYY 75 millions dollars to play for them? That number increases by any difference the Phillies or Whitesoxs pay over the Yankees offer.
If it’s all about the Benjamin’s… no way manny signs with NYY. If he really wants to play for the NYY, it is going to cost him … an absurd amount of money.
Your math is off. It’s fair to bring up taxes and housing costs, but you’re making the assumption he’s going to spend all $300M during the next 10 years. That seems unlikely. Plus, whichever city he plays in will probably be his home only half of the year. You’re right that $300M in Chicago is more than $300M in NYC because New York’s taxes are significantly higher, but the rest of the expenses probably aren’t high enough to factor into his decision.
It costs more to live in NYC because its NYC! For $300 million you think he is worries about bang for his buck? What about being able to live jn NYC over Philly!
What about being on the big stage? All the extra dough as well in endorsements that are more lucrative in NYC and the fact NYC can make him a “brand”.
State taxes have zero relevance. Players pay tax in every state where games are played pro rata.
John Cena has Hustle, Loyalty, Respect. Manny Machado has I’m not Johnny Hustle, Highest Bidder, and Kicking Legs and Throwing Bats.
After John Middletons comments I am deeply concerned about the GM . The Phillies have the money to spend but are sitting here watching the entire division get better. What happened to Hextall when he wasted opportunities. If they don’t get it together they will suffer the same fate.