Atlanta Braves

Braves could be moving in on Manny Machado, though it seems unlikely

The Atlanta Braves have reportedly been in contact with Manny Machado, but it doesn’t seem likely to come to fruition.

We’ve almost reached February, and that means spring training for the 2019 Major League Baseball season is right around the corner. But with that being said, the highly anticipated sweepstakes for free agent Manny Machado has yet to be resolved.

A handful of teams have zeroed in on Machado, including teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox, who actually made a (low) offer to him. But reports have surfaced that another NL East team, the Atlanta Braves, could be getting into the discussions as well.

For Braves fans, it certainly has to please them that their team is looking into big name free agents, especially considering their disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series this past October. But it seems highly unlikely that Machado will end up taking his talents to Atlanta.

It’s an interesting thought, but it just doesn’t seem to be the right fit for the Braves at this particular time.

For one thing, they have already spent a hefty sum during this offseason, signing third baseman Josh Donaldson to a one-year deal worth $23 million — a curious move considering that Donaldson has been injury-plagued over the course of the last three seasons. But the Braves needed to address their third base situation, and Donaldson is a former American League MVP, so they are hoping that he proves worthy of that $23 million.

With Donaldson taking over the third base job, the only other position the Braves could use Machado for is shortstop, and they already have the promising young Dansby Swanson — a former No. 1 overall draft pick — for that role.

Like I said, it doesn’t seem likely that anything will actually become of these reports. Though landing Machado would certainly be a big splash, it doesn’t seem like a necessary move for the Braves, especially given how much they will already be paying Donaldson in 2019.

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But, with the White Sox having made such a low offer ($175 million over seven years) for someone of Machado’s standards, it was certainly bound to pique more interest from other teams.

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