MACHADO WILL HEAD UP THE TURNPIKE TO THE BRONX

Source: MLB Trade Rumors

The Manny Machado tour has begun as the All Star infielder interviews in Philadelphia next week.  According to The New York Daily News, "The superstar shortstop is scheduled to meet with the Phillies in the City of Brotherly Love this coming week, MLB.com reports, so it would only make sense for the 26-year-old to hop on the busy road and make his way to the Stadium afterward."

Brian Cashman has stated that he continues to have interest in Machado and will not hold his unprofessional performance against him should he interview with the Yankee general manager.  "I’m sure it wasn’t his best moment, but that doesn’t mean that’s the moment that should define him either,” general manager Brian Cashman told YES Network earlier this week as reported by The New York Daily News.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Yankee manager, Aaron Boone, has also weighed in on Machado, respecting him for his talent and minimizing the so-called hype with regards to his lack of hustle.  “There is an expectation that we have and hopefully as a professional that there is a certain way you go about things, and running balls out can certainly play into that,” Boone said. “Frankly, it is a little bit down the list as far as what I define what makes a player. My definition of a player who plays hard, who plays through adversity and is tough and brings things behind the scenes and has the ability to post when it is not easy. Those are things that define playing hard a little more to me," reported the News.

Source: Yahoo Sports

So we know a few things about the potential interview with Machado.  He will meet with the Philadelphia Phillies this week.  It would make logistical sense for him to head up the NJ Turnpike to the Bronx shortly after and then hop a plan to Chicago, where the White Sox have some interest in him and a chip to play as they just traded for his brother-in-law Yonder Alonso.  Where will Machado play in 2019?  It's anyone's guess right now.  I am hoping somewhere other than the Yankees.  It's more than just hustle, it's attitude, and we don't need his kind of attitude in New York.  Been there done that over and over again.  Have a nice trip to Bronx, Manny but don't let the door hit you on the way out.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

SONNY GRAY TALKS PROGRESSING NICELY, BUT AT WHAT COST?

Photo: Getty Images

You know the Athletics are asking for every prospect the Yankees have, AND Aaron Judge... AND Luis Severino... just because they can.  Look, we here at BYB have been writing about this Sonny Gray rumor for a while now, and it's one that appears to be a real thing.

(July 10, 2017 - Source: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images North America)     

A lot of talk today about how the Yankees and A's are getting much closer to a possible deal for Gray and first baseman Yonder Alonso. In fact, BYB wrote about Alonso a while ago as being part of a Gray package if it was to happen.  Read THE YANKEES CAN'T IGNORE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM ANYMORE.  Jeana Bellezza wrote:

"...the Yankees could consider Yonder Alonso from the A's. He is having a breakout season and rumored to be interested in signing an extension with the team but are rarely successful in retaining high-dollar free agents. The A's are likely to make Alonso available on the trade market and his one-year, $4 million salary will make him easy to move..."

Nailed it, Sista.

MLB Trade Rumors writes today:

Photo by: Charles Wenzelberg

"...the Yankees are “making progress” toward a deal that could send both players to the Bronx..."

And of course the big question is for who.  Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweeted this about Yankee Prospect Estevan Florial:

Source: In Sonny Gray talks, #Athletics prioritizing young center fielders. They have interest in #Yankees prospect Estevan Florial. @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 25, 2017

All of his is interesting, but you gotta wonder if by young centerfielders, someone like Clint Frazier would be in the mix.  And what about the other prospects? What about Jorge Mateo? How about pitching? Would they want Justus Sheffield or is he untouchable?

We are following this very closely.  I do leave you with this though.  This comes from Mark Feinsand:

Not surprised Sonny Gray is making his start in Toronto. Though sources say Yankees are making progress, they didn't expect a deal tonight.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 25, 2017

We will see what happens tomorrow I guess.

Stay tuned...

YANKEES CAN'T IGNORE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM ANYMORE

(April 12, 2017 - Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America)     

There's no sugar coating what happened the past week. After an incredible winning streak the Yankees dropped a series to the Los Angeles Angels without star player Mike Trout and then went on to Oakland and got SWEPT in a four game series to a team with the worst record and run differential in the American League. The Yankees should have dominated the A's. The Yankees have some serious problems they can no longer ignore.

Here's what needs to happen. The Yankees need to work on the solutions and skip making any excuses. The Red Sox are banging on the door and first place and the division is now at stake. The Yankees have three major areas of weakness, and some of those are the same as division rivals.

(June 16, 2017 - Source: Jason O. Watson/Getty Images North America)

1. Pitching
CC Sabathia is out, and will likely be out until after the All-Star break read DOUBTFUL CC WILL BE BACK BEFORE TRADE DEADLINE for more. I don't know what the hell is going on with Masahiro Tanaka but he can't be trusted. That's two anchors of the Yankee rotation that will be missing. The Yankees are going to need starting pitching and Joel Sherman had a great piece this week HERE highlighting Brian Cashman and his trade deadline strategy.

Photo: Getty Images

The Yankees are still tied to the Jose Quintana rumors, and as the deadline gets closer the rumors will likely heat up. Sherman is right, Cashman does "deal from strength" and right now that is our middle infielders and starting pitching. The Yankees also need a lefty reliever. So who does Cashman get and who does he give up?

Photo: Getty Images

2. Third Base
The Yankees have been rumored to be considering upgrades at third base for weeks now. Chase Headley is having one of the worst offensive seasons of his career and he has committed the second-most errors at third base this year. Many expect the Yankees to improve the position form within, especially with Gleyber Torres rising quickly through the minors. That may be the long term plan, but now that he has an injured elbow those plans are temporarily on hold. The Yankees will need to consider upgrades outside of the organization and the Kansas City Royals are a good trade partner. The Royals are in third place after posting the worst record in April.

(June 13, 2017 - Source: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images North America)

Their bad start has them at a slim 6.7% chance to make the playoffs so that makes Mike Moustakas a prime trade target, read more HERE. He is in the middle of a career season and the most intriguing trade target for the team. Boston is desperately trying to solve their own third place weakness with Pablo Sandoval, so the competition may cause a higher price tag.

(April 1, 2017 - Source: Brian Blanco/Getty Images North America)

3. First Base
We all love Greg Bird. He is a big part of the Yankees future but he's not ready right now. Now that the Yankees have shut him down again the Yankees need to look at another solution potentially longer term because Rob Refsnyder and Chris Carter just don't work. The Yankees have Tyler Austin down in AAA. There was a lot of speculation that the Yankees were going to call him up on their last home stand but it never happened.

Photo: Getty Images

I guess the Yankees just don't feel like he is good enough right now. If that is the case, the Yankees could consider Yonder Alonso from the A's. He is having a breakout season and rumored to be interested in signing an extension with the team but are rarely successful in retaining high-dollar free agents. The A's are likely to make Alonso available on the trade market and his one-year, $4 million salary will make him easy to move. Division rivals the Angels and Mariners are interested in him, so maybe moving him to the Yankees will be ore appealing to the A's instead.

The Yankees just lost two series the should have won. The Angels were a sub .500 team until they dropped the last two games. The A's series was a nightmare. The Yankees should be dominating teams like this. As the season goes on the weaknesses of this team will only continue to be more obvious and the Yankees can no longer ignore the elephant in the room and they need to start making the right moves if they want to contend now.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ