Manny Machado is regarded as one of the best infielders in baseball. He is great defensive 3rd baseman or shortstop and one of the premiere hitters in the sport. But the Orioles being the Orioles, they have botched his entire contract situation. It is looking more and more likely that Machado will be traded midseason or will definitely leave at seasons end. Here is my list on Machado’s most likely destinations.
Dodgers
The Dodgers’ roster is definitely built to win right now, but with a huge hole at shortstop with Seager done for the year, I could definitely see the Dodgers dealing for a rental. Although it might be hard for them to pick the right prospects to send, with this absolutely only being a rental; with Turner and Seager locked in at 3rd and shortstop. With this expensive roster and sluggish start, Dodger management might think that their championship window might be shorter than they thought.
Cubs
Of course the Cubbies are on this list! The rich could just keep getting richer. With Chicago already in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes rumors, it is a definite possibility that the Cubs swing a trade involving Addison Russell. The Cubs may feel like they need to make a splashy move in what has been a competitive 4 team race in the NL Central. Now we’ll see if they have the cash however to go after both Machado and Harper this offseason.
Yankees
Now you might be thinking…”They don’t need Machado, they just traded for Stanton!” Well, they really didn’t need Stanton either. The Yankees definitely have the farm system to make a deal, but the only obstacle in the way of this, is a big one. The Orioles and the Yankees are in the same division. Machado will be stuck in the 3rd baseman slot for the Yanks if a deal gets done, but let’s wait and see if New York can offer them a deal that they can’t refuse.
Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks in 2017 pulled the trigger on a JD Martinez trade/rental. I would say it worked out form them as Martinez boosted the D-Backs into the postseason. Now Arizona is in a similar situation, as they have severely cooled off from a blazing start to the season, and their all-star 1st baseman Paul Goldschmidt has struggled so far this season. With Goldschmidt being a free agent in 2019, the Diamondbacks may feel like they need to pull the trigger on a similar trade to 2017.
Braves
The Atlanta Braves are this season’s feel good story. After a couple of dismal seasons, their young and exciting roster has propelled them into 1st place in the NL East. But are they willing to break the mold of building a farm system to maybe contend at a World Series title? The Braves definitely have the assets and promise to get and keep Machado, and they could slide Dansby Swanson to 3rd base if the trade happens. This trade would arguably make the Braves the most exciting team in baseball, heck, they might even be that already!
With the trade deadline still 2 months away, a lot can change. But with some superstars possibly on the trade block, this deadline will be an exciting one for sure.