The Red Sox can't just worry about beating this current Yankees team. They've also got to figure out how to stay ahead of whatever New York's roster will look like on July 31.
Complicating that challenge: New York has reportedly entered the Manny Machado sweepstakes.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, as well as multiple reports out of Baltimore, the Yankees are interested in acquiring Machado, the Orioles All-Star who's a few months from entering free agency. Per Rosenthal:
Sources on Sunday identified the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers as the most serious suitors for Machado, but the Yankees’ farm system likely is strong enough to trump any club’s offer, assuming the Orioles are willing to send him to New York as a rental.
While Rosenthal stresses the sides aren't close, the entrance of the Yankees into the Machado sweepstakes should make the Red Sox shudder. New York's right-handed-heavy lineup already poses a challenge to a rotation that features four left-handers when everyone's healthy -- Chris Sale, David Price, Eduardo Rodriguez, Drew Pomeranz -- and adding the right-handed Machado to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez might force the Red Sox to find a right-handed starter this month if knuckleballer Steven Wright can't get healthy enough to rejoin the rotation.
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