One year away from free agency, could the floundering Baltimore Orioles look to trade franchise player Manny Machado?
In early May, the Baltimore Orioles appeared well on their way to contending for their fourth playoff berth since 2012. They were 22-10 and held a 6-4 lead on the Washington Nationals heading into the ninth inning. Brad Brach blew the game, the Orioles lost, and now enter the All-Star break at 42-46.
Pitching has undone the Orioles, but they are also dealing with a seriously down year from All-Star third baseman Manny Machado who enters the break hitting .230/.294/.446 with 18 home runs and 46 RBI. He has become pull-happy at times, and it has led to too many popups and weak ground balls.
The 2017 season looks like a crossroads for the Orioles as they head into an Armageddon of potential free agents after the 2018 season, including Machado. Notoriously difficult owner Peter Angelos has made more of an effort to spend what it takes to build a winner over the past five years, but the Orioles chances of finding the $400 million needed to keep Machado long term are very low.
Orioles GM Dan Duquette has been tight-lipped about his plans as the trade deadline approaches, but if the team struggles out of the gate after the break, he will have to at least consider shopping Machado and seeing what teams are willing to offer. These five teams could have what it takes to at least pique the Orioles interest.
5. Chicago Cubs
Theo Epstein can say all the right things about the Cubs not being able to address all of their weaknesses through the trade market this year, and he’s right to a degree. The team’s starting pitching has been wildly inconsistent, while Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo have not been able to pick up the slack for a stagnant offense.
Epstein is going to make at least one big trade this year to address his club’s weaknesses and ensure that the Milwaukee Brewers do not win the NL Central. The Cubs are in their prime and cannot afford to waste years of contention while their stars are still cheap. If Machado falls into his lap, Epstein will no doubt be interested in seeing how rich the Orioles demands are.
Machado could fit in Chicago if Bryant is moved to left field on a more permanent basis. Epstein and Joe Maddon are in love with Kyle Schwarber’s power potential, but if he could be used as the centerpiece in a trade to acquire Machado, they would have to consider it.