The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a major blow with the news that Corey Seager will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair a sprained UCL. Despite the unfortunate development, the club has plenty of options to quickly find a suitable replacement at shortstop.
One of the speculated possibilities that can seamlessly fill the void and match Seager’s production is Baltimore Orioles star Manny Machado, whose availability on the trade market has been noted for months.
Though, acquiring someone of Machado’s caliber this early in the season figures to be very costly.
While the Dodgers have internally discussed the possibility of acquiring the 25-year-old, there isn’t a growing sense that a deal can be completed, per Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball
The Los Angeles Dodgers tried for Manny Machado over the winter, and they are talking again behind the scenes about him now that they have an opening at his shortstop position. However, to this point there isn’t overwhelming optimism that there will be a deal to be made.
The Dodgers were one of nine reported teams to engage the Orioles in trade discussions for Machado over the offseason. While those talks obviously went nowhere, it certainly helps that potential framework for a deal later down the road was presumably set in place.
From a prospect and financial standpoint, the Dodgers may benefit by waiting closer to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline to pull the trigger on a trade for Machado. He is currently owed $16 million for the remainder of the season, but that figure will drop as the year progresses.
With the Dodgers’ desire to remain beneath the $197 million luxury tax threshold, a trade for Machado wouldn’t be possible unless they offload additional salary to the Orioles. But that, of course, would increase the prospect package heading back to Baltimore.
Machado is off to a scorching start at the plate, as he’s hitting .353/.433/.664 with nine doubles, nine home runs and 25 RBI through 134 plate appearances (30 games). He’s expected to reach free agency at the conclusion of the season, joining the likes of fellow superstars Bryce Harper and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.
