MLB trade rumors: Would Yankees put Manny Machado at shortstop?

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked if there’s anyone for whom he’d move Didi Gregorius off shortstop …

CLEVELAND — The tone in Aaron Boone‘s voice deflated. He looked straight at the reporter who had just asked him if there’s any shortstop defensively good enough to knock Didi Gregorius off the position for the Yankees.

“Didi’s a great shortstop,” Boone said before the Yankees faced the Indians at Progressive Field on Thursday. “So important to what we do.”

The question was rooted in speculation — something MLB managers hate but what fans crave.

The real question would be, if the rumors were true and if the Yankees stepped up their push for star Orioles shortstop Manny Machado, would the Yankees bump Gregorius to maybe third base?

As of Thursday, FanCred’s Jon Heyman reported that the Yankees had an offer out for Machado and that it didn’t include a pair of their top talented youngsters — starting pitcher Justus Sheffield, 22, and outfielder Clint Frazier, 24. Heyman added that it didn’t seem the sides were close to a deal.

don’t know yanks offer for machado. do know it doesn’t include Sheffield or Frazier. they have a long list of fine prospects, however. in any case, doesn’t appear sides are close yet.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 12, 2018

It’s tough to imagine how it would make baseball sense for Boone to keep Machado at shortstop and move Gregorius to a less demanding position.

Aside from winning the eye test by most accounts, advanced defensive metrics rate Gregorius the superior shortstop over Machado.

Machado, 26, played shortstop in the minors and moved back to the position this year. He spent the majority of his first six-plus seasons in the majors at third base, where he made three All-Star teams. Machado will play in his fourth Midsummer Classic on Monday.

How Machado feels about Yankees talk

Gregorius has been a career shortstop. Fangraphs rates Gregorius the league’s 12th best defensive shortstop while Machado is No. 23.

Meanwhile, Machado rated as baseball’s eighth-best defensive third baseman last year, per Fangraphs. The website ranks current Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar among the bottom third in the league defensively at the position.

Of course, there’s precedent for a big-name star coming to the Yankees and changing positions. Alex Rodriguez moved from shortstop to third base in deference to Derek Jeter. Giancarlo Stanton moved from right field to a hybrid role that mostly relegates him to designated hitter to keep Aaron Judge in right.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.