Manny Machado rumors: Dodgers trade could be coming
By Cody Rivera
The Baltimore Orioles are terrible, and with Manny Machado in the last year of his deal, one of the game’s greats is one the block.
As we inch closer to the midway point of the MLB season, trade rumors continue to swirl. Manny Machado has often been a hot topic of conversation when it comes to trade rumors, as it has long been seen as unlikely that he continues his career with the Baltimore Orioles on a long-term basis.
Now, trade rumors involving Machado are getting hotter than ever as we near July, and we might be seeing Machado lacing up in Dodger blue sooner rather than later.
Bob Nightengale wrote an article on USA Today to discuss how the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorite to land Machado in a trade, and he noted that the time is now for the Dodgers to make that move.
Of course, this is the same Dodgers team that won the National League pennant last year, and came just one game short of winning the World Series before falling to the Houston Astros in Game 7. After coming so close last year, even after they failed to acquire Justin Verlander, Nightengale believes going after Machado is what they need to do in order to get over that hump.
Not only would a Machado trade be huge news for Major League Baseball, but it might officially make the Dodgers the best team in the NL West. As things stand right now, Los Angeles (42-36) sits just two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the division lead. The Dodgers opened the season at a subpar 16-26, but have since picked up a lot of steam by going 26-10.
Adding Machado might just give them that last boost they need. He’s hitting .301 so far this year with 19 homers, and they have a glaring need at the shortstop position with Corey Seager out for the year.
The Dodgers could use Machado right now to fill that void, and the interesting thing is, if they decide not to acquire him, the Diamondbacks are the other leading team in the Machado sweepstakes. In other words, Machado could either help the Dodgers this season, or he could crush them.
Next: Could the Nationals consider trading Bryce Harper?
With that being said, it might not be too much longer before Machado is headed out west, and the Dodger faithful could very well be the ones waiting for him.