Fantasy Baseball 2018: Manny Machado’s best-case scenario
By Bill Pivetz
The Orioles are expected to trade Manny Machado before the trade deadline. What is the best team for his fantasy baseball value?
The Baltimore Orioles are nowhere near competing in the American League East. It is time for them to sell their assets. Many expected them to be sellers in the offseason but they held on to their stars. Now, three-plus months into the season, their stance has changed. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) said the Orioles prefer to trade Manny Machado sooner rather than later.
There are a lot of teams interested in the all-star infielder. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Indians are the top teams in the Machado hunt. The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs have shown interest but nothing significant.
All of those teams are playoff contenders and have a need for Machado in their lineup. He can provide power and contact. Speed is no longer a part of his game but that’s not why fantasy owners draft him. He has a .310 average with 21 home runs, 59 RBIs and 41 runs scored.
If Machado was to be traded, what team would benefit his fantasy baseball value in the second half?
Dodgers
The Dodgers seem like the frontrunner to acquire Machado’s services. They have a deeper farm system for the Orioles to pick what players they want in return. Plus, with the loss of Corey Seager for the year, it makes sense.
Matt Kemp is on fire. Cody Bellinger is close to another 20-home run season. Max Muncy came out of nowhere. Machado would fit nicely and split up the lefty bats in the lineup.
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This move will also free up Chris Taylor from shortstop and be used at other positions. He can play outfield, second base and third base. With Logan Forsythe struggling, he may see more time there.
Phillies
The Phillies have the combination of Scott Kingery and JP Crawford playing shortstop, though the latter is on the 10-day DL. Machado would be a huge upgrade at the position.
The team has been linked to multiple trades heading into the deadline. They’ve been rumored to trade third baseman Maikel Franco and acquire veteran Adrian Beltre. If the Phillies can pull off both trades, they may be the frontrunner to win the National League East.
With Rhys Hoskins, Carlos Santana, Odubel Herrera and possible additions of Machado and Beltre, that would be a hard lineup to pitch to. Citizens Bank Park is a top-10 park for home runs and the ball will be flying out of the park for this batting order.
Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks clearly have a need at shortstop. Nick Ahmed is not exactly lighting up the stat sheets with his .221 average, 10 home runs, 33 RBIs and .281 on-base percentage.
Adding Machado would give lineup security to Paul Goldschmidt, AJ Pollock and David Peralta. However, the addition of the humidor in the offseason has stifled the home power of the offense.
So far this season, the Diamondbacks have hit 43 home runs at Chase Field, 17th in the league. Goldschmidt has just five at home compared to his 13 on the road. If Machado goes to Arizona, his power may see a decline when playing at home.
Indians
The Indians aren’t a team I expected to see on this list. They obviously don’t need a shortstop as Francisco Lindor is a perennial all-star. If Machado were to go to the Indians, he would have to play third base. The Indians would then move Jose Ramirez to second base and Jason Kipnis would find himself out of a job.
However, Machado has mentioned how much he wants to play shortstop. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that he will move Tim Beckham to third and Machado play his natural position. I’m not sure how open Machado would be to moving back to third base. Maybe for a playoff run, he’d make an exception.
Then again, a lineup with Machado, Lindor, Ramirez and Michael Brantley looks nice, too.
Next: Fantasy Football 2018: A player you want to draft in the second round
If I were a Machado owner (unfortunately, I’m not), I would want him to go to Los Angeles or Philadelphia. The lineups are more complete and the parks favor the hitters. Outside of a couple of elite pitchers in the division, he would have some elite matchups for the second half.
Regardless, wherever Machado goes will have a big impact on real and fantasy baseball.