BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 21: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Saturday, April 21, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Manny Machado
Manny Machado may be the biggest name to move ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Currently, the Diamondbacks and Orioles are discussing a deal.
Peter Angelos still hasn’t made up his mind over whether or not the Orioles front office will be permitted to deal Manny Machado this summer. That doesn’t mean the O’s higher-ups aren’t doing their due diligence. In fact, Baltimore officials are in close contacts with their Diamondbacks counterparts over how a deal might be constructed.
The Diamondbacks are one of the teams that could easily use Machado at shortstop or third base. Nick Ahmed is hitting a dismal .227 at short and Jake Lamb’s average of .209 at third is even worse. Most people believe Machado would prefer to move back to short, and the Diamondbacks are certainly in position to make that happen.
Arizona also can offer Machado the chance of playing for a contender. They currently enjoy a 1.5 game advantage over the Dodgers in the NL West. Swinging a deal for a star like Machado would give the Diamondbacks an opportunity to run away with the division.
The Orioles, in sharp contrast, are nowhere near contention in the AL East. They’re already 27.5 games behind the Yankees and Red Sox. Any deal they make for Machado will be based around the idea of acquiring players who can help them in the future.
Expect the Orioles front office to ask for a ton in exchange for their one transcendent star. The Diamondbacks would likely be required to deal several of their top prospects to get a deal done. Unfortunately, Arizona doesn’t have a farm system that’s blessed with a ton of high-end players. That means both Jon Duplantier and Pavin Smith would almost certainly have to be included in any deal. That would cost the Diamondbacks the top two prospects in one of the weakest farm systems in baseball.
The one thing working in Arizona’s favor here is Baltimore’s preference to ship Machado out of the American League. That is a foolish strategy for a team trying to rebuild, but it seems to be a real concern for the O’s front office.
No deal for Machado is imminent, but the fact that Arizona and Baltimore are talking about him on a regular basis means things can change in a hurry. He’s certainly a player to keep an eye on as the trade deadline draws closer.