ADDING TULO DOESN'T MEAN MACHADO WON'T BE A YANKEE

Did you panic when the Yankees signed Troy Tulowitzki? Or maybe you were just okay or indifferent on it like me. It's a spare part for the Yankees, it's not a sign that the Yankees have moved on from the Machado sweepstakes. He's still the Yankees "prize" they are chasing after.

Everyone has their own opinion on Manny Machado. Whether you love him or hate him you can't compare Tulo and Machado. At this point, Tulo is nothing but insurance or a bench guy for the Yankees. Tulo missed all of last season due to bone spurs in both heals, but the Yankees obviously saw something that they liked at a recent public workout. He's cheap since we are only paying him the league minimum so he is low risk and high reward that will be easy to get out of if the Yankees find another option they like better. The Yankees added depth, the worst that can happen is he plays poorly, and the Yankees cut him but for $555,000 it could pay off for the Yankees.

Of course, that assumes that Tulo even makes it out of Spring Training, which is far from a guarantee considering his injury history. The Yankees aren't going to depend on Tulo to be their solution. It's too much to expect from a guy who missed all of last season, only played in 66 games in 2017 and has only played in 197 games since 2015. He hasn't played a full season since 2011. Hell, even banged up Jacoby Ellsbury has played in more games than Tulo in the same time frame. The Yankees aren't putting all of their marbles in Tulo's basket expecting him to be the player he was from years ago. That ship has sailed.

The Yankees and Machado have been infatuated with each other for a long time now. I mean, for a brief period of time Machado did follow YES Network on Instagram. So that could be a hint that a Yankee signing is imminent, right? Machado favors the Yankees, and the Yankees have an immediate area of need at shortstop and are looking to catch the Red Sox and end their championship drought. Both sides are interested in each other. If a deal is going to happen between the Yankees and Machado....it won't be jeopardized in any way by signing Tulo.

These two may play the same position but signing Tulo has nothing to do with Machado's fate as a Yankee. Tulo is a spare part, but Machado is the grand prize and the Yankees think he will help get them a championship. You really think they are going to just walk from him?

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