A polarized Yankiverse cannot seem to decide on Manny Machado

Generally, when a gold-plated free agent pops up on the MLB market, my cold, calculating-yet-spiritually-significant opinion turns out to be rock-solid simple:

Sign the bastard, screw the money, sign him, sign 'em all, every last one, and we'll sort it all out in spring training. (And, by the way, that strategy would work, dammit!)

And yet... here I am, on the day after Xmas, reciting a tortured scene from Hamlet over the fate of Manny Machado. To sign, or not to sign... that is the question.

WTF? This is nuts! Why are we - or I - even debating this? If Manny wants to be a Yankee, as the Gammonites claim, it should have already happened. Good grief, the guy hit 37 homers last year... at age 25. If he signs a 10-year deal, at the end of it, he'll still be younger than Brett Gardner will be this opening day. Why is this even a discussion? 

And yet... as a tribe, we are divided and undecided. Just like the country. Just like me. 

Here's why we should sign Manny: He's the best free agent on the market. He's young. He can play 3B for the next decade. He wants to be a Yankee (reportedly.) He hasn't won a world series, so he'll be hungry. He hates Boston (reportedly.) He can play SS until Didi recovers. As a result of recent dust-ups about hustling, and failure to hit in the post season, he'll have something to prove. He wants to play under the bright lights. 

Here's why we should not sign him: He comes with a reputation for dogging it and for dirty play. Do we want that to become the clubhouse norm? How would that affect Gary Sanchez, or Gleyber Torres, or Miguel Andujar? Speaking of Miggy, we already have our 3B for the next decade. With Manny, our lineup will keel heavily toward the right side. Signing him will force trades to remake the roster. If we sign him, we lose out on Bryce Harper or even the stud pitchers we more desperately need. We can better use that $30 million.

Jeeze. I cannot remember the last time I was so conflicted about a free agent. Seriously, tomorrow, Manny could announce his destination, and my reaction would be, "Oh, well..."

But all this angst and indecision stems from the sense - grown from disbelief - that Hal Steinbrenner may actually intend to turn cheapo this winter. For the last two years, the Yankees have dicked around with the luxury tax threshold - the de facto salary cap - always suggesting that they would be taking aim at the 2019 free agent class. Now, we're told the team may want to stay within that threshold. Last season, the Redsocks outspent us by $40 million and won the world championship. And we're being told to support Yankee plans for fiscal prudence.

Nope. I won't. If the Yankees aren't spending, it simply means the Steinbrenners intend to bank the money themselves. And folks, that's the issue that should unite this tribe.

We can argue about Manny until sunset. But let's agree on one basic point: We are the Yankiverse, not the KC Royalsverse, and we will not accept cheap. Sign the bastards, screw the money, sign 'em all, and then sort it out in spring training. Let's never forget that. We will not be splintered and discarded. 

It's a disgrace what's happening in the Yankiiverse, but other than that, I wish everyone a merry Christmas.