Manny Machado will eventually decide where he wants to play and for how much money.

The smart play is the talented infielder will land with the team that offers the most money, which is the road most free agents take because the essence of free agency is $$$$$$.

Machado has visited the White Sox, Yankees and Phillies. There could be a team or two lurking on the periphery, but those three are the primary participants in Manny Mania.

Here is a look at the pros and cons of Machado joining each club.

And for the sake of brevity let’s get these facts out of the way so they don’t need to be repeated: Machado has been labeled as a dirty player and stunningly admitted in October that hustling isn’t part of his tool belt.

Yankees

Pros

The 26-year-old Machado, despite ligament repair surgeries on each knee in 2013 and 2014, is a premier right-handed bat who would strengthen a Yankees’ lineup that already includes Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres, Aaron Hicks and is expecting a bounce-back season from Gary Sanchez.

Machado wants to play in The Bronx, which doesn’t sound like much, but there have been a lot of free agents who took the Yankees’ money and then found the burden too much.

He isn’t the shortstop Didi Gregorius is, but Machado has good hands and a very strong arm. And his bat can’t be ignored at a premium position.

Cons

Even if he doesn’t land a $300 million deal, there will be financial ramifications because Dellin Betances, Hicks and Gregorius can be free agents after the 2019 season and Aroldis Chapman can become one by opting out of the final two years of his five-year deal. Beyond that, Luis Severino is in his first year of arbitration and Sanchez and Judge will get their first stab at the process following the 2019 season.

Gregorius eventually will return from Tommy John surgery. Providing his right arm bounces back to being very strong and accurate, he would be the better shortstop option than Machado, who would have to move to third. What becomes of Miguel Andujar? Traded for a starting pitcher? Handed a first baseman’s glove?

If Machado really won’t hustle, what impact will that have on the younger players? Though he is an elite hitter who can handle right-handed pitching, Machado’s bat already will be joining a lineup that leans heavily to the right side.

Phillies

Pros

The Phillies have millions of dollars burning a hole in their very deep pockets, so they probably could pay Machado the most money, which makes them the favorite to land him.

While Yankee Stadium and Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field are hitter friendly, Citizens Bank Park makes for Arena Baseball, and Machado, who took advantage of Baltimore’s Camden Yards, would thrive in South Philly’s phone booth.

Dropping a ton of cash on Machado would mollify a fan base that doesn’t endure mediocrity well, something the Phillies have been for a while. Even if Machado is viewed as baseball’s villain, he will be their villain, the kind of player that city’s sports fan have always supported.

Cons

After winning 102 games and finishing first in the NL East in 2011, the Phillies are 507-627 in the past seven seasons. Their 80-82 record this past season was their best since 2011. How much of a difference would Machado make?

The Phillies acquired shortstop Jean Segura from the Mariners. Signing Machado and moving Segura to third isn’t simple because Segura has never played third in the big leagues and there is talk he wants no part of shifting from short to third. Would Machado, having gotten paid as a free-agent shortstop, return to third?

New York is tough to play in, but Philly might even be more difficult because there are two teams in New York to share the spotlight when things go badly. The Phillies stand alone for the abuse that comes regularly when they don’t play well. How well will Machado handle the criticism?

White Sox

Pros

The White Sox believe their group of young players will eventually give them a solid base upon which to build a sustainable winning team. Adding Machado a few years ahead of the prospects would be a smart move.

The White Sox won the World Series in 2005 and have been in the Cubs’ shadow ever since. They could use the injection of juice Machado would bring to Guaranteed Rate Field, which has been the world’s biggest funeral home the past six seasons as the White Sox have gone 419-553.

If Machado has a normal year and the White Sox display improvement, he likely would attract free agents to Chicago’s South Side in the years to come.

Cons

Machado is used to playing in empty ballparks, but has never done it as the highest-paid player in the game. The White Sox don’t figure to contend in 2019 and often the highest-paid player gets the most blame — whether it is deserved or not.

Even if Machado has his typical year, what will it mean? The White Sox were led by Jose Abreu’s 22 homers last year and Abreu’s .798 was their top OPS.

Free agents go where the most money is and often regret it. It figures the White Sox would have to be well above the Phillies and Yankees to lure Machado to be the start of a rebuilding project that may never succeed.