It was a perfect storm of star power talent, the Evil Empire of franchises and the growing influence of social media.
And really, it meant nothing.
Wednesday a photoshopped rendering of Manny Machado in a Yankees uniform appeared under the Baseballoverload Instagram account and was liked by the verified account of, well, Machado. The tease raised the stakes of the rumors that Machado could land in the Bronx.
The only real implication of the "like" was that Machado, like many of us, got a kick out of the photoshop skills utilized but Machado declined to speak to reporters after Wednesday's game. A report earlier in the day by Jon Heyman on FanCred.com said that the Yankees had made a strong offer to the Orioles for Machado, but many reports have claimed that the team is not the frontrunner for the services of the talented infielder.
And that makes more sense than anything social media can stir up. The Yankees have a shortstop in Didi Gregorius and a talented young third baseman in Miguel Andujar and a much more pressing need for a solid starting pitcher as they fight with the Red Sox for first place in the American League East.
As NorthJersey.com's Yankees beat writer Pete Caldera wrote the Yankees have plenty of targets working. But the rumors will continue and hints will be dissected. Earlier this year, Aaron Judge sidled up to Machado and spoke for a while in spring training, telling reporters afterward, "Adding him to our lineup that we already got would be something special. I told him he'd look good in pinstripes."
That drew a response from Major League Baseball, which issued a statement warning, "We have been in contact with the Yankees. They communicated to us that Mr. Judge's off-the-cuff comments were not appropriate and not authorized by the club. They will speak to him to make sure that this does not happen again."
There's no such warning for photoshop. But it also means even less than Judge's polite comments.
