The Los Angeles Dodgers FINALLY…acquired shortstop Manny Machado. After delaying the inevitable for no apparent reason other than the fact that the All-Star game delayed the proceedings, Machado is officially on his way to LA. The deal was announced Wednesday evening after a medical delay slowed the process down. Five prospects will head to the Orioles in exchange for the American League All-Star shortstop.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported the details of the deal:
Orioles getting Diaz, Kramer, Bannon, Pop, Valera, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 18, 2018
The return on the surface isn’t overwhelming but when you consider that Machado is an impending free agent following this season, you understand that the Orioles couldn’t ask for the world from teams. Yusniel Diaz is the headliner of the trade who hit 2 home runs recently in the futures game. Diaz is currently in AA and smacking the ball with an average well over .300. It’s odd to see the Orioles target a player like Diaz considering the recent track record of their simpleminded owner who refuses to sign international free agents.
The Phillies, Brewers, Indians, and Yankees were also known suitors. Philadelphia seemed like they had a great shot to land Machado because they had offered their number two prospect, Adonis Medina. While Machado has expressed interest in playing for the Yankees, it seemed like they never put their best foot forward when they refused to offer any of their top 10 prospects. To be fair, they don’t have a need for him with Didi Gregorius and Miguel Andujar slated at short and third respectively.
There’s no question the Dodgers landed a star. Machado becomes the fourth player ever to be traded to another team after making four All-Star appearances joining the likes of Craig Kimbrel, Miguel Cabrera, and Ricky Henderson. Machado is currently a 2.9 WAR player and touts a batting line of .315/.387/.575. His 24 home runs also isn’t too shabby for a shortstop. If the Dodgers can’t make it out of the pathetic National League after acquiring Manny Machado, it will be considered a huge failure. The season-ending injury to Corey Seager opened the door for the Dodgers to become uber aggressive in their pursuit of the former Orioles infielder.
