As the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline inches closer, all eyes remain on the Baltimore Orioles and whether they will ship away the likes of Manny Machado and Zach Britton to jumpstart a lengthy rebuilding process.
A potential trade involving Machado seemingly gained traction in recent days, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies leading the pack as interested suitors with enough prospect capital to complete a deal.
The latest report on Tuesday indicated that the Dodgers have separated themselves as clear frontrunners to acquire Machado, with their newfound willingness to include top outfield prospect Yusniel Diaz in a package heading back to Baltimore.
Now, barring a last minute snag in trade talks, the Dodgers are set to acquire Machado from the Orioles on Wednesday at the conclusion of All-Star Game festivities, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
The Baltimore Orioles, barring a last minute snag, will trade All-Star shortstop Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, according to a baseball official with direct knowledge of the deal.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic confirmed that Machado is expected by many to be traded to Los Angeles:
#Dodgers increasingly likely to land Machado, sources tell The Athletic. Barring last-minute snag, several of interested teams expect that outcome.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 17, 2018
Assuming the trade goes through as expected, the Dodgers further bolstered their World Series hopes with one of the best players in all of baseball in Machado.
Machado will take over full-time starting duties at shortstop, while Chris Taylor will shift to either center field or second base depending on the matchup.
That frees up Max Muncy to return to his preferred position at first base, with Cody Bellinger now slated for an even larger workload in center field as a result.
Machado, 26, is a four-time All-Star and will represent the American League in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic. A free agent at season’s end, he put up an impressive .315/.387/.575 slash line with 21 doubles, 24 home runs and 65 RBI in 413 plate appearances during the first half.
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