The Los Angeles Dodgers were dealt a huge blow early in the 2018 season when they lost All-Star shortstop Corey Seager to Tommy John Surgery. Seager was expected to be relied upon as one of the main sources of offense, just as he had been for the entirety of his young career.
Almost immediately after news of Seager’s injury surfaced, the Dodgers were connected to Manny Machado in trade speculation. On the surface, it makes sense.
The Dodgers have made a splash at the trade deadline in every year that Andrew Friedman has been president of baseball operations. They acquired three-fourths of their 2017 playoff rotation that way: Alex Wood in 2015, Rich Hill in 2016 and Yu Darvish last year.
Machado has blossomed into a superstar as a third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, but his natural position is shortstop. His contract is up at the end of this season, and few expect him to re-sign with Baltimore, who at 23-58 have the worst record in the league.
The Orioles have resisted dealing top players in past years. However, they would be ludicrous not to deal Machado before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
On the heals of a report that suggested the Dodgers were a frontrunner to acquire Machado, the Orioles also consider them one of the teams who are aggressively after him, per Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports:
In a market that will be the most-watched this summer and may contain many twists and turns to come, the Phillies and the Dodgers are said by one Orioles-connected person to be the most aggressive pursuers of superstar shortstop Manny Machado. Yet another Orioles-liked person agreed, but added the Diamondbacks, and maybe the Cubs, are also in close pursuit.
The Dodgers don’t have a huge need at shortstop, as Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez have had solid seasons in the wake of Seager’s injury. However, both can play several positions and still find at-bats if another shortstop is acquired.
The Dodgers’ offense came alive after a slow start, but Machado would still bolster their lineup. He has a career-high .303 batting average and .930 on-base plus slugging percentage in 2018, which might further explain the Dodgers’ reported interest in him.
The Phillies are also looking for infield help and have been linked to Kansas City Royals third baseman mike Moustakas in other reports. The Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks were recently identified as possible suitors for Machado as well.
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