More than just deciding about whether to import one of the game’s great players, the Yankees will be deciding their very identity with the decision whether to relentlessly pursue Manny Machado.

Even last offseason, in trading for Giancarlo Stanton — owner of the largest contract in MLB history — the Yankees crafted a deal that, between removing Starlin Castro and having the Marlins potentially assume $30 million of the slugger’s future pact, enabled them to slash his salary just so to stay under the luxury-tax threshold.

Even if he were to take less years to go with the Yankees than the Phillies, White Sox or some other club, Machado almost certainly would score the highest annual value in history (at least until Bryce Harper signs). The Yankees would have to zoom beyond the $206 million luxury-tax threshold in 2019 to get this done. And they would have to shed the sense of patience that came with breaking in young, talented players who — of all things — made them more broadly likable (or to their detractors, less loathable).

The Yankees would be playing once more to the caricature of the George Steinbrenner past, flexing with their wallet to fuel their star-crazed sense of how to win a championship.

I do not say this to condemn the strategy. In fact, the Yankees not using their money advantage would be like Shaquille O’Neal having not used his size advantage. There are downsides to operating a club in New York — notably an intensity that might shrink a Carl Pavano, Sonny Gray or more. So the Yankees should never run away from an edge.

The Red Sox were the one club in the majors last year that didn’t treat the luxury-tax threshold like at least a soft salary cap; the Nationals also went over the threshold but barely. Boston’s reward was a championship, making any penalties (almost a $12 million tax) tolerable. And, really, the degree of the penalties has been overstated, especially for financially flush organizations.

Even the dropping of 10 draft slots — from about 33rd to 43rd next June for Boston — is not significant. The talent in that range is not dramatically different. The best 33rd pick ever is arguably Mike Gallego, the best 43rd is maybe Wade Miley.

So this is not about the Yankees spending money. The question is whether Machado is the right person at the right time on which to do so, and whether the Yankees shouldn’t be spreading the money for all-around excellence rather than investing at this level on another player. Which is probably why Machado’s pitch to the Yankees is more vital than whatever the Yankees have to say — particularly because of the strong sense that the Yankees are his preferred destination.

Machado has to explain October. As I have written previously, the postseason with the Dodgers was his job interview — his best chance yet to win a title and his last statement to convince teams that he was worth north of $300 million. And Machado used the month to, at minimum, play borderline out of control/dirty, not hustle and then essentially double down on not hustling in a story with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

Hal Steinbrenner has said he wants the comments in that story explained to him. But the comments came from questions about the actions, and it is the actions that should most concern the Yankees, not the quotes about the actions. Because the actions can be found plenty in Machado’s career, leading to a reputation as currently the majors’ most polarizing figure. The Yankees learned a lot about Dave Winfield and Alex Rodriguez after they obtained them with 10-year contracts. They pretty much know the full Machado now.

If the Yankees sign him anyway, it would not be because of his explanation. It would be because they don’t care. They want his towering talent. Period. It would be because the organization wants to stop hearing that it has fallen behind the Red Sox in the past decade-plus. It would be because they would worry about the aging curve and jammed payrolls later. It would mean they would be giving up on Miguel Andujar as a third baseman soon and reviving a message from their Steinbrenner-ian history that the outside famous answer is the one with which they are most comfortable.

It is a way to go. Machado is one of the best baseball players in the world. But if they go this way, the Yankees would be signaling they are back to a certain way of doing business. They would protest it is untrue, but once you pay big for the most polarizing player in the sport to layer on top of Stanton, can you patiently wait for a youngster to mature or close the financial spigot when an area of need arises? The age and cost of the roster will keep going up.

You are the George Steinbrenner Yankees again.