Despite the assumption that Baltimore Orioles will hold on to their star third baseman, Manny Machado, the New York Yankees are still pursuing to get him to their team. Aside from that, NY Yankees recently signed Jace Peterson for a minor league deal.
Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports said that the Yankees are looking into a possible deal with Machado this week. He said that the team is back in contact with the Orioles to discuss Machado. However, there is a slim chance that the Yankees could get Machado. Heyman added that the Yankees already have an amazing lineup which might not be ideal for the baseman.
But Heyman also said that of all the teams that are trying to get Machado, it is the Yankees that have the best chance to get him. One reason why the Yankees are still trying to get Machado is because they believe that he has a special interest to go to New York. Also, he will be a free agent after the 2018 season. But Heyman clarified that the Orioles are not yet tempted to accept any offers from the rival teams.
In 2017, Machado batted .303/.338/.525 in his final 76 games, but he only had .259/.310/.471 for the season. He hit 33 home runs and posted a 3.5 WAR. Last year was a down year for Machado based on his previous achievements where he owned a .809 OPS and 26.3 WAR since he became a regular in 2013.
On the other hand, the Yankees just agreed to a minors pact with infielder Jace Peterson. He will receive an invitation to the MLB camp this spring. According to Heyman, this will give Peterson the chance to earn $900k rate in the majors.
If things work out between the Yankees and Peterson, it is possible that he will stay with the team for two or more seasons. Peterson is only about three years of service, which means that he still has enough time ahead of him. Peterson has .254/.350/.366 output, 52 walks against 69 strikeouts, and over 408 plate appearances in 2016.
