The Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers were reported as reaching the proverbial finish line in Manny Machado trade talks on Tuesday, but with the 2018 MLB All-Star Game hours away, the clubs weren’t expected to finalize the deal until Wednesday.
Following the Midsummer Classic, it was reported the Dodgers were poised to send as many as five prospects to the Orioles in exchange for Machado. The headliner — and only known name up to this point — being Cuban outfielder Yusniel Diaz.
It was previously reported that the Orioles coveted Gavin Lux and Dustin May, but the Dodgers aren’t believed to have included either in the framework of the trade.
For all the anticipation it would be made official on Wednesday, information was sparse throughout the morning and into the afternoon. It was then revealed that the Orioles were concerned by the medical report of at least one Dodgers prospect.
According to Jon Heyman of Fancred, the issue does not lie with Diaz, which makes it likely the Dodgers and Orioles will eventually find a way to complete their trade:
the medical holdup in the Machado trade isn't over top OF prospect Yusniel Diaz, the key prospect in the trade and one real name that's out there & confirmed. since it's apparently over a complementary piece (at least compared to Diaz), the chances to work it out are much better.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 18, 2018
Diaz is rated by publications as being a top-10 prospect within the Dodgers organization. He received a $15.5 million signing bonus during the 2015-16 international signing period.
The 21-year-old recently participated in the Futures Game, where he slugged a pair of home runs. He’s batting .314/.428/.477 with 10 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 30 RBI through 59 games with Double-A Tulsa.
Although the Dodgers and Orioles presumably would like to reach a resolution sooner rather than later, neither club resumes with their regular season until Friday. Moreover, if necessary, they technically would have until the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline to sort through any hurdles.
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