Eduardo Escobar is solid Manny Machado consolation prize on trade market
As trade suitors for Manny Machado start to fall by the wayside, Eduardo Escobar looks like a worthy consolation prize.
Ahead of being one of the top free agents next winter, Manny Machado is getting equal amounts of trade speculation as the Baltimore Orioles move into sell-mode. But the Minnesota Twins are in similar position as a trade deadline seller, 8.5 games back in the AL Central after back-to-back losses to the Chicago White Sox this week, and Eduardo Escobar is sure to be on the trade block.
Escobar is going through a bit of a cold streak lately, right in line with being hit by a pitch on the right elbow last week, with just two hits in his last 24 at-bats. But he is still hitting .288/.340/.550 (.890 OPS) this season, with 12 home runs, 48 RBI and a major league high 33 doubles.
As the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers emerge as the top two suitors for Machado heading into the trade deadline, and with fellow trade candidate Josh Donaldson sidelined longer than expected after a setback in his rehab from a calf injury, Escobar is out there as one of the top available third baseman on the trade market.
As #Twins look increasingly like sellers, Eduardo Escobar is an intriguing trade option for Manny Machado suitors like #Cubs and #Dodgers. Escobar, on an expiring contract, plays SS/3B and has an .890 OPS this year. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 28, 2018
Machado moved back to shortstop this year, which may his position long-term, but he can easily be envisioned as a third baseman going forward. Escobar offers versatility along that same line, with 19 starts at shortstop this year before most recently becoming the Twins’ third baseman as Miguel Sano goes through a lost season.
Like Machado, Escobar is also in the final year of his contract and he’s making a reasonable $4.85 million this season. With an emergence as a highly useful offensive player in his late 20s (21 home runs and 73 RBI in 2017) Escobar is setting himself up for a nice payday next offseason.
Related Story: MLB Trade Rumors: 5 teams who should make a deal for Adrian Beltre
The Twins have a history of not maximizing a player’s trade value. But with Escobar there’s an opportunity to do so, and contending teams won’t have to give up the bounty of assets the Orioles will command for Machado.