Manny Machado Rumors: What The Yankees Might Have To Trade, Orioles' Timetable On A Deal

The chances of Manny Machado becoming a New York Yankee before the 2018 MLB trade deadline are looking more and more realistic. Rumors about the team’s interest in making a deal with the Baltimore Orioles won't go away.

A few days ago, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Yankees expressed increased interest in acquiring the star shortstop. On Wednesday, Jon Heyman reported for Fancred Sports that New York is making a “serious push” for Machado.

If the Yankees are seriously considering trading for Machado, they might not have much concern about what to do with third baseman Miguel Andujar or Machado’s insistence on remaining at shortstop. Whether or not they pull off a deal could be determined by Baltimore’s asking price.

What exactly do the Orioles want in exchange for the All-Star? According to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, the team would be willing to send Machado to their AL East rivals if minor-league pitcher Justus Sheffield is included in the trade.

Before the season began, Sheffield was ranked 41st on the 2018 Baseball America Prospect Rankings. The left-hander pitched to a 2.25 ERA in five Double-A starts before being promoted to Triple-A. Sheffield has a 2.53 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 57 Triple-A innings, earning a spot in the All-Star Futures Game at 22 years old.

It’s not known exactly what the Yankees have offered for Machado, who could potentially be a rental. The shortstop is eligible to hit free agency this winter and could earn a contract worth upwards of $300 million.

The Yankees would probably rather trade Sheffield for a front-of-the-rotation starter that's under contract for multiple seasons. A pitcher that fits that description might not be available at the moment.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers are also considered to be serious players for Machado, while a few other teams are keeping an eye on the situation. SNY’s Andy Martino has reported that the Orioles would like to make a decision on what to do with their best player before next week’s All-Star break.

Machado is in the midst of the best offensive season of his career. He’s hitting .314/.383/.573 with 23 home runs and 63 RBI.

Baltimore is 38.5 games out of first place with the worst record in baseball. New York trails the Boston Red Sox by 3.5 games in the division.

The Yankees are second in MLB in runs per game and OPS, trailing the Red Sox in both categories. They lead the majors with 154 home runs and are on pace to set a record for homers in a season.