Last week, Yankees star Aaron Judge got himself in a bit of trouble with Major League Baseball, as he mentioned that he made an off-the-cuff remark to Orioles third baseman Manny Machado. It seems that Judge said something along the lines of "you'd look good in pinstripes," suggesting Machado -- who is a free agent after this season -- should sign with the Yankees.
It's rather harmless, really, but MLB gets all worked up about things of the sort and throws around the word "tampering" in situations like these. MLB apparently contacted Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who had to remind Judge that he can't be saying things like this.
For his part, Machado thinks this is much ado about nothing.
"I think it was just blown out of proportion," Machado said to the Associated Press.
More from the AP:
"Everyone always jokes around about a lot of things, and things that we say on the field usually stay on the field," he said.
"I've told a lot of people they'd look good in black and orange as well, trying to get guys over here," Machado said. "It's just part of the game. You want to put the best team out there on your field, and if I'm a part of this team, I want to bring the best guys over here as much as I can. I want to get a ring as well."
It sounds like the biggest issue was Judge -- remember, he only has a bit over a year of big-league service time -- telling reporters about the comment instead of just leaving it on the field, as Machado noted.
Not coincidentally, the Yankees at first glance appear to be the top suitor for Machado. Utility man Brandon Drury appears slated to hold down the hot corner this season and his presence wouldn't preclude the Yankees from pursuing Machado. The Yankees also went to some pretty decent lengths this offseason to avoid being over the luxury tax, which sounds like a team getting ready to spend a lot next offseason.
There are reasons this could get more complicated, though.
At the top of the list: Machado has stated that he wants to move to shortstop after hitting free agency. The Yankees have Didi Gregorius and it wouldn't make sense to move Gregorius in order to accommodate Machado's request, defensively speaking.
Further, what if prospect Miguel Andujar comes up and has a huge season at third? Or if big-time prospect Gleyber Torres moves to third and has a huge season? Then the Yankees would be better served spending their money elsewhere.
Of course, all of this discussion is far off. For now, just keep your on-field comments on the field, Aaron, lest MLB have to throw another temper tantrum about obviously harmless comments.
