THE LOGIC OF JOEL SHERMAN

Photo: Chuck Crow, the Plain Dealer

I love Joel Sherman and love to hate him some days... but when I say that... I love to read him.

Great piece today about the Yankees and the intrigue of guys like Manny Machado, Corey Kluber and Patrick Corbin and whether or not they can do something strategic, smart and slick... taking the patience of today's Yankees with the selfishness and "want" of the old regime.  And to be honest, the article was terrific. I enjoyed every moment of it. A tip of the cap to Sherman.

This part of the article was what really caught my eye:

"I sense the Yankees are, at minimum, intrigued by Machado, and his signing would give them latitude to use Miguel Andujar as the central trade piece to obtain Kluber — taking a logical leap that the Indians like the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up enough to deal their ace. Imagine 10 years at $330 million for Machado, six years at $126 million for Corbin (the Yu Darvish pact from last offseason) and the assumption of Kluber’s Indians contract, which, if his 2020-21 options are picked up, has three years at $52.5 million left, but costs just $11.3 million toward the luxury tax in 2019. "

Photo: AP

The thinking is there and it's brilliant and I can actually picture it.  Now do I like Manny Machado on the Yankees? Not 100% no.  I think there needs to be some maturity from this guy. And the irony is, he's a veteran at this point, and some of the Yankee youngsters... like Aaron Judge for instance, show more hustle and maturity than Machado.  But he can play, and he would fit in nicely.

Photo: AP

And what are the Yankees thinking when it comes to Miguel Andujar? Well... they love him, but they need pitching and guess what... if he won the ROY award I think it may be harder to part with him. But he didn't... say those writers, and now maybe that helps them flip him for a Corey Kluber. I'd hate to see Miggy go... but we need to bolster the starting rotation, and sometimes you need to trade high to get high. Sadly... it's business.

Look... this could be fantasyland for all I know. I do know this... I love this article today and appreciated this scenario.  It's new and refreshing.

Let's see what happens next, shall we?