The New York Yankees had reportedly been interested and even close to a deal with superstar free agent Manny Machado, according to some reporters…cough, cough Dan Clark. While the rumors proved to be false, we have learned a few things about high-priced free agents and why chasing after them isn’t the most advisable move.
Showing too much interest in any given player raises the price-tag inevitably, and the Yankees played a very interesting game to distract the rest of the league from their real targets. General manager Brian Cashman utilized the media in a way that convinced the fans and other teams that they were all-in on Machado, while they were secretly planning to sign much cheaper veteran players.