Manny Machado Can Earn His Pinstripes Over The Next 7 Games

hubbs10/22/2018 7:45 PM

How much did you hate that headline? Really tell me how you feel. A lot? Good. I’ve flip-flopped in my heart on Manny Machado over the last week or two more than any political candidate has during the presidential debates. The pros and cons list really is a real toss-up of whether it’s worth it to bring him to New York next year and essentially for the rest of his career.

Pros:
-Undeniable great talent
-Plus defense at 3rd
-Great bat
-Perfect villain for the rest of the world
-Hates Boston

Cons:
-Admittedly hates hustling
-Bit of a scum
-Potential bad role model for Andujar/Gleyber
-Lots of money
-Can he handle a big market like New York?

Like I said, it’s a really tough choice to make. I’ve gone back and forth, but I genuinely believe he is Cashman’s number one name for his winter wish list. There is one pro that resonates deep inside my soul that makes this an automatic yes: He hates Boston.

Manny Machado and the city of Boston are mortal enemies. The Yankees need a villain like him badly. The last guy to take that job was Alex Rodriguez, Manny’s idol. In case your memory needs refreshing, this slide into Pedroia at second caused all sorts of chaos.

As long as Machado is playing baseball he will be hated by the Red Sox faithful and vice versa. That inserts him perfectly into the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry and directly into my heart.

Yes, the quote about hustling was very bad during the NLCS. Yes, him cleating Aguilar at first was bad. But you know what? He answered the bell. Since starting the postseason going 1-12, Machado has hit .313 with two homers and 7 RBIs over an eight game span. The game after his horrible quote he hustled his balls off to get to second on a passed ball and then came home to score the winning run a few pitches later. In Game 7 with the entire Milwaukee fan base booing down his throat he dropped down a bunt and ran the fastest he had all year to first base for an infield single. He thrives being a villain. He puts on this smug smile during press conferences and shrugs things off and then just produces on the field.

I talked to RDT, our resident Orioles blogger, about Machado and how he dealt with all of this stuff over the last six and a half seasons. He said you just learn to accept who he is because of how good he is. He’ll have games where he makes you question what the fuck he was thinking. A few games later he’ll begin a tear to silence everyone. Bottom line, he’s really, really good at baseball and he hates Boston. Inserting that kind of fire into the Yankees sounds good to me. It appears Manny will only accept a 3rd base role only with the Yankees because that’s where he wants to be. He’ll even get his dream of being the Yankees shortstop for a little bit of time while Didi sits out rehabbing his Tommy John-plagued right arm. The pieces are all in place.

Now this isn’t to say starting pitching is not a priority. I think it’s completely necessary to get at minimum two big starting pitchers. Patrick Corbin and some kind of trade for whoever that may be. There is still money to pay Manny after all of that, don’t you worry. This move is how the Yankees become the Evil Empire again. They need to become hated by everyone else, and right now they certainly aren’t liked, but Machado would put them over the top of hate.

So now to the point of this blog, over the next seven games, Manny Machado has the opportunity to do something no one has ever done: earn his pinstripes before becoming a New York Yankee. If Manny Machado takes down the Red Sox in this World Series I’ll be a fan for life. Give him ONE BILLION DOLLARS. Every penny. If he takes over in this series and sends Boston home that will mean everything to me.

Embrace the hate. Embrace the villain. Give me Manny Mania. Go Dodgers Go.

Please let me retweet this this series 100 times.