Every detail matters when it comes to baseball's free agency, so it's occasionally worth it to examine those smaller details to decipher whether or not they may have an impact on a player's landing spot. What we do know when it comes to free agent infielder Manny Machado is that he completed a three-team tour before the new year, meeting with the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox.
But when the White Sox acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso -- Machado's brother-in-law -- last month, it left us wondering whether or not the family connection gave the White Sox an advantage in the Machado sweepstakes.
Machado's brother-in-law may be in Chicago, but Machado's wife, Yainee, is reportedly interested in living in the Big Apple. On Friday, Wallace Matthews of the New York Daily News shared this tidbit:
According to another source, who knows Machado well, there is a wild-card to this negotiation who might tip the balance toward the Bronx: Machado's wife, Yainee. According to the source, Yainee Machado – who is the sister of Yonder Alonso, the first baseman recently traded to the Chicago White Sox, one of the teams Machado visited on his sales tour – is enamored of New York City and very much would like to live here.
But, Yankees fans shouldn't get too excited just yet. Obviously, a player's family is a huge factor in a free agency decision, but it doesn't necessarily mean that's where he'll wind up. When Patrick Corbin was going through his decision process earlier this offseason, it seemed like almost all signs were pointing to the Bronx. He had grown up a Yankees fan, the Yankees had been interested in acquiring him in the past and Corbin's younger brother even tried to get him to return to his home state during the best-man speech at Corbin's wedding.
Then, the lefty signed with the Washington Nationals.
All in all, it's really just one big guessing game fueled by rumors until we get the big announcement from Machado himself.