MLB trade rumors: Will Manny Machado, Jeff Samardzija, Asdrubal Cabrera be dealt?
The baseball world is waiting to see whether the Baltimore Orioles are willing to trade superstar Manny Machado. Meanwhile, veterans Jeff Samardzia and Asdrubal Cabrera also could be on the move.
As the July 31 MLB trade deadline approaches, we will be taking a regular look at some of the biggest names that could be moved.
Manny Machado, 3B, Orioles
The flailing Baltimore Orioles have made it clear relievers Zach Britton, Brad Brach and Darren O’Day are available. The Los Angeles Dodgers and others already have been linked to Britton.
All of this raises the question: If the O’s are punting on 2017, should they go ahead and start a massive rebuild now? After all, the team faces plenty of uncertainty after 2018 and has one of the worst minor league systems in baseball.
And if they are looking to rebuild the farm, they have one player guaranteed to bring back a massive haul in prospects. As ESPN’s Buster Olney put it on Twitter: “If the Orioles are willing to trade Zach Britton now, they should also seriously consider swapping Manny Machado to extract maximum value.”
Despite a down year at the plate, the 25-year-old Machado remains one of the game’s bright young stars. He becomes a free agent after 2018, and the O’s almost certainly won’t be able to ink him to an extension.
Logic points to the Orioles making the slugging third baseman available.
But don’t count on it happening. Machado is the best homegrown Oriole position player since Cal Ripken Jr. The organization doesn’t seem to have an appetite for moving its signature player just yet.
Ken Rosenthal reports Baltimore owner Peter Angelos has told GM Dan Duquette he should not listen to offers on Machado or center fielder Adam Jones, who also will be a free agent after 2018.
Could that change between now and July 31? Maybe, but Angelos is a stubborn man. Expect to see Machado in orange and black for the foreseeable future.
POSSIBLE LANDING SPOTS: The Boston Red Sox, in desperate need of a third baseman, would make all kinds of sense, as Olney points out. But there is literally no chance Angelos will agree to a deal that sends Machado to a division rival.
The St. Louis Cardinals, who have expressed interest in Josh Donaldson, would be a good fit. The Philadelphia Phillies reportedly want to sign Machado as a free agent. Would they be interested in getting and extra season-plus?
Jeff Samardzija, RHP, Giants
San Francisco is “open for business” but still plans to contend in 2018. Not sure how that works, but it leaves open the question of whether Samardzija, under contract through 2020, will be on the block.
If the veteran hurler is available, the Giants should expect to find a “fair amount of interest,” according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Samardzija, 32, has a bloated ERA (4.86) and has allowed 20 home runs already. But his FIP (3.51) indicates he has pitched better than that. And he is one of the game’s most durable starters, on pace for his fifth straight season of 200-plus innings.
Samardzija is not an ace, but he would be a good fit for a contender looking for a middle-of-the-rotation innings eater.
POSSIBLE LANDING SPOTS: The Houston Astros, who lost out in the Jose Quintana sweepstakes, have their eyes on Samardzija. But taking on his contract would represent a significant cost for the low-spending Astros.
The Chicago Cubs, Samardzija’s first team, are said to be interested as well. Theo Epstein & Co. are interested in starters who are controllable.
Next: Best Starting Pitchers in MLB History
Asdrubal Cabrera, IF, Mets
The veteran shortstop has played all of one game at third base in his career. But the Boston Red Sox need a third baseman, and Cabrera may their guy.
Cabrera is one of several infielders the Red Sox are looking at to shore up their weakest position, the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman reports. The other names include T.J. Rivera (Mets), David Freese and Josh Harrison (Pirates), Eduardo Nunez (Giants) and Martin Prado (Marlins). The list included Todd Frazier, but he is off the market now that the White Sox dealt him to the Yankees.
The Sox also are scouting the Mets’ Wilmer Flores, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.
Cabrera, 31, has generally been an above-average hitter though his numbers this year are down (.247/.333/.401, nine home runs). He is a free agent at year’s end, and the Mets are much more likely to move him than the rookie Rivera.
“One significant red flag: Cabrera’s defensive prowess has been fading for a couple years now,” Silverman writes.
Back in June, Cabrera demanded a trade when the Mets switched him from shortstop to second base. A week later, he reversed course.
POSSIBLE LANDING SPOTS: Boston seems like the only team with much interest at this point.