With spring training just around the corner, notorious Red Sox foe Manny Machado remains unsigned. How could an AL East return for him affect the Red Sox?
It’s been a strange offseason for the league, as far as free agency goes. In a period that’s seen many vicarious signings, the premier free agents remain team-less. Two of baseball’s leading faces in Bryce Harper and Red Sox Nation villain Manny Machado headlined this year’s free agent class, and as of February 11th, they remain free agents.
There’ve been plenty of rumors revolving around the two superstars, both being linked with competing franchises and rebuilding rosters. For the Red Sox, though, only one of these big names will have a potentially big impact on their upcoming season. The relationship between Machado and the Sox has been toxic for some time now.
As the face of the Orioles for over six seasons, the Fenway Faithful have seen it’s fair share of the fiery infielder. What is a very possible scenario is an AL East return for the 26-year-old with New York, but, isn’t something the Sox should be agitated by.
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There’s no doubt that Machado’s ability on both offense and defense will improve the overall look of Yankee franchise if he does end up wearing the famous pinstripes. Yet, is he going to be the pillar for them to overtake the Sox in the AL East?
This will remain uncertain until he can prove himself in the Bronx. Machado’s talents are clear, with a .282 career BA, he’s proved to be more than reliable throughout regular season play. He’s also picked up two Gold Gloves, the first of which proved to turn into a platinum one, after a phenomenal season from the field in 2013. He would boost the Yankee defense by a lot, especially in the infield, probably remaining at third base, next to Didi Gregorius.
Spending a significant period of time in Baltimore, Machado’s had plenty of time to see how the Sox work. Although he has enjoyed success in the past, it never amounted to anything on a larger scale. He had a taste of what it’s like to be on a winning baseball side with the Dodgers, spending the majority of 2018 with them.
He was pivotal in getting LA to their second World Series in the same amount of years. However, as they went on to lose for the second year running, Machado struggled to get it done in the Fall Classic, earning just three RBI, whilst hitting .182. He struck out five times, the last of which is the final out of the 2018 season. Machado will strengthen the rival Yankees, but is this necessarily a bad thing? No, it isn’t. It’s not something the Sox should really be bothered by, and should definitely not be worried over.
They’ve had their ups and down against Machado in the past, but know how to handle him. The addition would better New York on both ends and would stack their upper order with bats. But the Sox dealt with Giancarlo Stanton last year, and focusing on holding down Aaron Judge’s numbers will prove the biggest task.
For all this, the Sox still have the most weapons, overall. The likes of Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez along with the elite rotation remains the toughest challenge for any team to overcome in the AL East, and this potential New York signing will just force the Sox to stay great and to become better in themselves.