TAMPA — As if by karmic choreography, the 2019 Yankees full squad took the field en masse for the first time Tuesday just as it…
TAMPA — As if by karmic choreography, the 2019 Yankees full squad took the field en masse for the first time Tuesday just as it was being publicly revealed Manny Machado had reached agreement with the Padres.
The symbolism was hard to ignore. Machado — despite all the expectations and exhortations of the offseason — was not taking the field alongside Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez. Simultaneously, just past noon on Feb. 19, confirmation arrived that no 11-hour transactional Hail Mary would be coming.
Machado’s agreement is for 10 years at $300 million — the largest free-agent deal ever, topping the 10 years at $275 million the Yanks once lavished on Alex Rodriguez. Bryce Harper probably will beat that soon, and the $325 million, 13-year deal Giancarlo Stanton signed with the Marlins in 2015 before he reached free agency is worth more.
The Yanks were never in on Harper and made it clear to Machado’s camp they were never nearing 10 years or the $300 million mandate established. As the seasons pass, we will learn if this is wise. But in real time, I believe the Yankees made the right choice.
