Manny Machado Trade Rumors: Could Dodgers Acquire Shortstop From Orioles?

It didn’t take long for Manny Machado to find himself back at the center of trade rumors. Following speculation that the Baltimore Orioles might trade the shortstop in the winter, a potential suitor has emerged because of an early-season injury.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have lost shortstop Corey Seager for the year to Tommy John Surgery. The news comes as L.A. finds themselves in the midst of a rough start to the 2018 MLB season. After losing a game started by Clayton Kershaw Tuesday night, the defending NL West champions are 12-17 and nine games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the division.

Los Angeles needs a new starting shortstop as they try to rebound and get back to the World Series. Machado is in the final year of his contract and likely to leave Baltimore as a free agent this offseason. The Orioles have the American League’s worst record and won’t contend in 2018. The Dodgers seemingly have the prospects that could entice Baltimore to make a trade.

A deal might eventually make sense for both sides, though that doesn’t mean one is coming soon.

“We're still evaluating our club for 2018,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said Tuesday, according to The Baltimore Sun. “Basically, we still need to figure out where we're going to be, so I think we need a little bit more time to do that.”

Machado is performing like an MVP candidate through one month of the season. He’s hitting .366 with a .450 on-base percentage and a .688 slugging percentage, ranking in the top three in the AL in each category. His nine home runs put him one behind the league-lead.

The Dodgers were one of several teams that had trade discussions with Baltimore about Machado in the winter, according to Jon Heyman of FanRags Sports. Los Angeles is tied for fourth in the NL in runs scored, and they are sixth with a .719 OPS.

The New York Yankees have been considered the favorite to sign Machado in free agency, though they’ll have competition from other big market teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and potentially the Dodgers. It could take close to $400 million to land Machado in the winter.

“Hopefully it doesn't come to (me being traded), we clean it up and start winning games,” Machado told reporters Tuesday. “I'm positive that when we get our 25 guys in here that are healthy, we are going to surprise a lot of people. We had a bad April, but it's time to turn it around and hopefully make a push for this year.”