When the Yankees presumably sit down with Manny Machado and his representatives one day this autumn, they should use Sunday’s game as the foundation for their simple sales pitch to the stud free agent:
“We’d love to have you as our third baseman. We don’t need you at shortstop, as we’re hoping to keep our current guy there for the long term.”
Didi Gregorius put together a platform day here at Yankee Stadium, thriving everywhere as the Yankees steamrolled the Rangers 7-2 to lift their Summer Siesta record to 6-1 — and merely keep pace with the ridiculous Red Sox in the process. Gregorius contributed a two-run homer and a single and, most notably, four exceptional plays on defense, including one for the ages: He slid to his right to stop a Delino DeShields grounder into the hole, then sprang up and threw in one motion to nail the speedy center fielder.
Asked whether he’d rank that among his very best plays, the gifted-glove Gregorius conceded: “So far, I’ll say yes.”
Farther to Gregorius’ right, however, Miguel Andujar committed two more errors, raising his total on the season to 12 and raising concerns about his hot-corner competence.
Which brings us to Machado, a natural shortstop who has spent most of his career at third base and provided more defensive value there. On the verge of resetting their luxury-tax rate thanks to this year’s austerity plan, the Yankees should recruit Machado to join them at third. They can cite the precedent of Machado’s mentor, Alex Rodriguez, sliding over from shortstop in 2004 in order to join the juggernaut while not unseating captain Derek Jeter. But they shouldn’t hand Machado the shortstop position when they already have a really good one who holds such an essential place in what they’ve built here.
“Since he got here, taking over for who he took over for and being able to have three 20-homer seasons in a row, it’s just incredible,” Sunday’s winning pitcher, CC Sabathia, said of Gregorius. “I think what he’s done to turn around this team during the rebuilding, he’s been the No. 1 key. If he wouldn’t have [come] in and did what he did over the last three or four years, we’d still be talking about [Derek Jeter] and how we need leadership and all that stuff. But he’s erased that.”
For sure. And because Gregorius is only 28, with his free agency scheduled for the 2019-20 offseason, the Yankees should extend him this coming winter. How about five years and $110 million?
Machado has asserted his future is at shortstop, and if he means that, fine. He’ll find suitors like the Phillies and perhaps the Cubs. If he’s open, though, then the Yankees should consider breaking the bank for him and either switching Andujar to first base or using him as a trade chip for a frontline starting pitcher.
Andujar has continued to struggle at third, which has mitigated the considerable offensive success that makes him a bona fide American League Rookie of the Year candidate. He made a poor throw to first base on Adrian Beltre’s second-inning grounder and couldn’t handle Elvis Andrus’ sixth-inning bullet, letting it get into the outfield.
“Definitely a tough game,” Andujar said through an interpreter. “That’s part of baseball. You’re going to have days like that. You’ve just got to keep working. Keep preparing yourself for the next opportunity.”
“I feel like he’s made so many strides,” said Aaron Boone, who removed Andujar for defense in the ninth inning Sunday. “Just lately maybe laying back on some balls that are getting the best of him a little bit. And that’s one of the real challenges of playing third base is right away reading how to attack the ball. … If you’re a little indecisive, those kinds of plays can happen. I think that’s what happened a little bit lately.”
With 20 contests left against mediocre-to-lousy teams in this 27-game stretch, the Yankees can keep running Andujar out there and see if he improves. On the other hand, they don’t need to see any more of Gregorius to know what they have. And to know what they don’t require moving forward.
