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Yankees' Boone not bothered by Machado's 'Johnny Hustle' comments

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty

While New York Yankees ownership has expressed concern about how much hustle free-agent shortstop Manny Machado would offer, manager Aaron Boone doesn't seem to be worried.

Boone recently discussed the comments made by Machado last October when the All-Star explained he wasn't "the type of player that’s going to be 'Johnny Hustle.'"

"You hope all players all the time run things out, play hard or give it their all, but (it’s) not necessarily the No. 1 thing I look at when I am defining whether a player is giving his all or is a gamer or posting (playing every day) and being a guy who grinds when it’s difficult behind the scenes," Boone said Wednesday on ESPN's "The Michael Kay Show."

"I think that is more indicative of who a guy is and kind of how he plays. That said, there is an expectation that we have and hopefully, as a professional, that there is a certain way you go about things, and running balls out can certainly play into that," Boone added.

"Frankly, it is a little bit down the list as far as what I define what makes a player. My definition of a player who plays hard, who plays through adversity and is tough and brings things behind the scenes and has the ability to post when it is not easy. Those are things that define playing hard a little more to me."

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner criticized Machado's comments in November, calling the remarks "troubling," but hinting he'd be interested in sitting down with the 26-year-old to get an explanation.

In late November, Machado clarified that he isn't opposed to hustling and insisted his comments came across the wrong way.

The Yankees have been gathering information about the slugger for some time and were said to be interested in signing him depending on his price tag.

Machado is coming off a career year in which he belted 37 home runs, drove in 107 runs, and posted a .905 OPS between the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers.

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