Yankees: Is Miguel Andujar’s future in New York in jeopardy?

A reason for fans to be glad about the Yankees missing out on Manny Machado can be found in Miguel Andujar. It’s hard to believe the franchise doesn’t have a historic list of homegrown third baseman like Andujar but do the Yankees view him as their long-term option at third base?

A couple of weeks ago, it appeared the Yankees were going to repeat their pattern of acquiring an outside source to play third. Some industry experts were predicting Baltimore Orioles superstar Manny Machado was going to end up in pinstripes before the 2018 trade deadline. However, the winners of the Machado-sweepstakes are the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For now, rookie third baseman Miguel Andujar still has his starting job at the hot corner. While the move would have improved the Yankees offense and defense, the team’s primary need is still another impact starting pitcher. Will the Yankees shop their future All-Star to obtain that pitcher?

As the deadline nears, do not be surprised to hear Andujar’s name is floated around in deals. Teams like the 23-year-old Dominican native because of his impressive swing and strong throwing arm, but so do the Yankees.

It will be hard for GM Brian Cashman to pull the trigger on moving a homegrown talent since the influx of Baby Bombers have rejuvenated their franchise. If any third baseman should be on the move on the Yankee roster, it should be Brandon Drury since Andujar has outperformed him all season.

More from Yanks Go Yard

• There’s one way Yankees can make SF Giants’ offseason even worse
• Yankees should swing trade for old enemy to fill 2023 left field vacancy
• Baseball Reference proves Yankees’ Aaron Judge lives rent free in Boston
• Yankees’ Clay Holmes trade just became even bigger disaster for Pirates
• Mets stealing New York Post’s entire Yankees offseason plan is hilarious

There’s also a strong possibility the Yanks will sign Machado in the off-season. If Machado ends up in pinstripes in 2019, it could mean the end for either Didi Gregorius at shortstop or Andujar at third base. It could happen, but I for one am hoping it does not.

Cashman will have the funds to pay for Machado, but should they? The phenom 26-year-old has expressed his interest to be a Yankee. He liked a picture on Instagram of him as a Yankee, and his nephew mentioned he wanted Machado to play in the Bronx. Also, Machado’s hero is former Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who wore No. 13 before Machado made it to the majors.

When you compare Machado and Andujar, it’s obvious Machado is the better player. However, only one of them is on the Yankees now. Fans loved Andujar all season long, but once the Machado rumors started buzzing, most fans couldn’t stop talking about Machado playing third.

It’s crazy how the projection for a player’s career can change so suddenly because of a rumor. All the “Machado to the Yankees craze” was a rumor. And if I’m Andujar, I would be motivated to prove to the fans in the second half why he is irreplaceable, like teammate Gleyber Torres.

Next: Yankees need a plan of attack with Manny Machado off the board

What do former Yankee third basemen Alex Rodriguez, Scott Brosius, Wade Boggs, and Graig Nettles all have in common? They played the hot corner and won a World Series for the Bronx, but none of them came up to the majors from the Yankee farm system.

Perhaps Andujar could be the first in a while.