Could Manny ruin Hal's winter by settling for a short-term contract?

Supposedly, Manny Machado's conga line of suitors now holds as a Bermuda Triangle of the Padres, White Sox and Phillies. Each is said to have offered him an epoch-long deal with dollar signs and zeroes that, to the rest of us, is as incomprehensible as Kellyanne Conway's marriage. Each franchise offers a shitwad of cash to, in theory, compensate for the many years Manny will face finishing third. 

If The Manster has any sense of history, he must know that each of those three owners eventually will sour on him, that each of the fan bases will blame him when their team sucks - which each will - and that he could wind up at age 40 without not only a ring, but maybe not even another World Series at-bat. Manny's greatest years are at hand; could he squander them in San Diego?

Of course, Manny will surely do what all beagles do - chase the money - because that's all they know. They've been programmed since birth to run barking down the street after the mail truck. Trouble is, they never ponder what will happen if they catch the truck.  

And maybe, just maybe, that's what Manny is doing.

If he signs that massive lifetime contract, it will define him in the lizard eyes of his owner and the ticking time-bomb hearts of his fans, both of whom can turn icy if and when a dead-in-the-water front office decides to tank the team in late May. 

So what if - as rumors say might be happening - Manny ditches the greed-first mentality and decides what is important is where he plays and who he plays for, and on that note, he wants to be a Yankee? Crazy as it sounds, the scenario looks possible. How can I say this?

1. Something should have happened by now. They were telling us that Machado was going to sign over Christmas break. The spring camps are nearly open, and he's still sifting offers. If he wanted San Diego, Philadelphia or Chicago, you'd think he would have signed by now.

2. It's well known that Mrs. Manny wants New York. Again, how much of a premium does a player put on domestic tranquility? How much money negates the downside of an unhappy spouse? 

3. There remains one card to play: He could accept a one or two-year deal, make a lot of money, then hit free agency in, say, 2020 at age 27 - with the best earning years of his life still in front of him. 

If Manny pushes for New York - that is, if he makes it clear that he's waiting for the Yankees to put forth an offer, it becomes a nightmare scenario for Diamond Hal Steinbrenner.

Hal either ponies up the money, or he looks like a cheap suit weenie. Just last week, he proclaimed that the Yankees are never done improving until opening day. If he walks away from a one-year deal with Machado, he'll be revealed as a poor-mouthing, outclassed heiress in a Yankee windbreaker and a $50 haircut.  

Those of you who are harsh critics of Manny - there are many of you, and for worthy reasons - would have to at least agree that he at least wants to be a Yankee, and that he is sacrificing dough to play in New York. That ought to buy him some credibility, and a chance to show what kind of player he is.

He would likely play shortstop, the Troy Tulowitski era - a weirdly fantastical time - will come to an end. In it, delusional Yankee fans imagined Tulowitski as ten years younger with hips and knees that haven't been surgically rebuilt. In it, the story of a one-day tryout takes on mythic proportions, and the notion of a man agreeing to play for next to nothing in salary is a fairy tale come true.

Finally, Didi Gregorius does not have to rush back and - as a result - face a harrowing contract season. Didi is our shortstop. He always will be. But it's hard to imagine him returning in July, without spring training, and having much of a year. He might be able to come back in late August and September. He might be able to play in the post-season. But rushing him back because - say - Tulo just tweaked a gonad... that's a worst-case scenario for everyone involved. 

And if Manny wants to play in NYC, shouldn't we let him?