MANNY MACHADO MANIA!

Yesterday was Wednesday. Normally not a big deal right? Well, when the Yankees have a meeting scheduled with one of the biggest names in baseball Wednesday isn't just Wednesday.....it's all hell breaks loose day! It's also rumors go flying day! Take a deep breath though....

Yes, Manny Machado met with the Yankees yesterday. After much anticipation and crazy social media debates it has finally come and gone. Next up Machado gets to visit the Phillies. If you were waiting for any tidbits on potential offers well, I hate to burst your bubble (or maybe I don't). This is only just the beginning.

All day yesterday was filled with nothing but Machado rumors. If there is any truth to the visit it was fast, read that HERE. Now if that is true and the meeting was only 90 minutes long....big deal. As far as I am concerned, it means nothing. Nada. Zilch. Yesterday's news. Some people think it is a big deal though.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the length of the meeting matters. It could've been three hours and I wouldn't feel any clearer about the probability of Machado in a Yankee uniform. At the end of the day, this is a long drawn out love affair between the Yankees and Machado whether fans like it or not.

The Yankees are interested in Machado: FACT

Manny Machado has interest in being a Yankee: FACT

Both sides have a mutual interest so the duration of the meeting doesn't mean anything. A longer meeting doesn't mean more interest. Both sides know what they want and are feeling each other out to see if a match can be made. Machado and the Yankees have been talking for a long time already, this is just another part of the process. That's all it is.

This is different then the meeting with Patrick Corbin. Sure, Corbin wanted to be a Yankee too, the same fascination was there. The difference here is Corbin was coming off of one really good year, who wasn't expecting the same contract as Machado and isn't a premier pitcher. Machado is one of the biggest names in the game who also has shown all of baseball some character flaws. 

So now we sit and wait to find out what happens next, but I think the short meeting has some people in a panic. We've been writing about Machado constantly for months now. You may like him and want him on the team and you may not but there has been a lot of talk about backup plans to Machado in the last week especially. The first name to be pitched was Freddy Galvis HERE who is obviously not nearly as exciting.

But now Marwin Gonzalez is an alternative candidate. Some people really like him, he certainly was a difference maker for the Houston Astros last season. I guess no matter how I feel about Machado it is hard to really call anyone a possible alternative. There's just no one else with his skill set....

But is Gonzalez really a name to consider? Is he better than Galvis?

I don't know that I can call him "better" than Galvis but I would not argue that he is a worse player. He may be slightly overrated though. He is versatile so he has a great deal of value for a league-average bat and good defense. He has some pop to offer, but really his best year was 2017 when he won the World Series. It would be nice to have a guy that can play every infield position and even left field to platoon with Brett Gardner when needed, but his versatility is the best part of his skills.

It never hurts to explore options, but if the Yankees can't sign Machado and Gonzalez is the best alternative I think his future with us would be at second base, not shortstop. Out of all four infield positions that he can play, he's had the least amount of time at shortstop and he's progressively getting worse defensively. Using Gonzalez at shortstop makes that side of the infield even weaker. If this is the route the Yankees chose I would hope they would move Gleyber Torres to shortstop and put Gonzalez at second.

I'm ready to finally get this Machado soap opera over with. Is Machado the answer to the Yankees problems? Some fans say yes. If Machado doesn't sign is there another good solution? There's a solution out there but you can't compare that to Machado. It just doesn't work. That is the only thing I am convinced of at this point.

Oh, one other thing that I am convinced of.....no matter what there is no "right" answer for the Manny Machado dilemma. It causes too many Twitter wars! Wake me up when it's all over.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj