MLB mad at Yankees star after comments that were 'not appropriate'
He is coming off one of the greatest rookie seasons in baseball history, and one could even argue he’s among the most popular players in the big leagues right now.
But apparently, that’s not enough for Aaron Judge.
The slugger also wants to play general manager.
On Wednesday, Judge used a spring training game between the Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles as a chance to plant some recruiting seeds with Baltimore shortstop and soon-to-be free agent Manny Machado.
New York is considered to be a potential destination for Machado, and Judge wanted to throw in his two cents’ worth.
Aaron Judge thinks the Yankees' lineup could be "something special" with Manny Machado. pic.twitter.com/N8XGeXUPf3
— ESPN (@espn) March 15, 2018
“We talked a little bit, and I just asked him how his offseason was, how everything was going,” Judge said, according to ESPN. “I asked him how he liked short and said, ‘You’d look pretty good in pinstripes, too.'”
According to Judge, Machado didn’t have much of a response, but just the suggestion of tampering caught the eye of Major League Baseball, which claimed that Judge’s remarks were “not appropriate.”
“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,” the league said. “They will speak to him to make sure that this does not happen again.”
According to the New York Daily News, MLB rules state: “To preserve discipline and competition, and to prevent the enticement of players, coaches, managers and umpires, there shall be no negotiations or dealings respecting employment, either present or prospective, between any player, coach or manager and any Major or Minor League Club other than the Club with which the player is under contract.”
Judge, though, joked that he said the same thing to then-Miami Marlin Giancarlo Stanton at last year’s All-Star Game.
New Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to play it safe when asked about Judge’s comments.
“I don’t think he said that,” Boone said. “I’ll leave that one alone.”
The slap on the wrist, however, doesn’t take away from the fact that what Judge said about Machado is accurate.
Inserting Machado’s power and Gold Glove defense into a lineup that already features Judge, Stanton and Gary Sanchez would make opposing pitching staffs shudder.
“He’s one heck of a player, and he’s been doing it for quite a few years at the best level,” Judge said of Machado. “He’s one of the best — if not the best — defensive third basemen in the game, and now he’s probably going to be one of the best defensive shortstops. With what he brings on the offensive side of it, he’s the complete package. He’s going to be a happy man when it comes to free agency, and picking where he wants to go.”
On Wednesday evening, Judge got a call from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who essentially explained to him why his comments regarding Machado could be interpreted as tampering.
“(Cashman) gave me a refresher that MLB’s sensitive to that kind of stuff,” Judge said, as reported by the New York Post. “That’s about it.”
“You learn something new every day,” he added.
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