Multiple reports are surfacing that the Dodgers are close to acquiring Baltimore Oriole’s all-star shortstop Manny Machado. The 26-year old is representing the Orioles and playing on the American League squad tonight in the 89th annual all-star game at National’s Park in Washington D.C. According to Bob Nightengale, who was first to report the deal was close to being finalized. It’s likely that the Dodgers are only sending prospects in the deal for Machado but there have been others speculating that Logan Forsythe could possibly be included in the deal as well. It looks as if Yusniel Diaz could be the centerpiece of the trade. Here’s how the twitter timeline has gone today.
Breaking; The Dodgers appear to be the leading contender for superstar Manny Machado as talks head toward the finish line. The situation is fluid and brewers and phillies may still have an outside chance. Barring turnabout, deal should be done this week. Story comin on @Fancred
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 17, 2018
Top dodgers OF prospect Yusniel Diaz could be in play in potential Machado deal. Hit 2 bombs in futures game. If so, that may be hard to beat. As said, Dodgers lead as they head toward finish line.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 17, 2018
One thing about potential dodgers Machado deal: they are determined to stay below luxury tax threshold, so they may need to balance the $. Could include high-priced vet to do it.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 17, 2018
With Corey Seager out for the remainder of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers have an open spot at shortstop for the rest of the season. Chris Taylor has been manning the position since Seager’s absence but would be moved back to the outfield if the Dodgers acquire Machado.
And just like that, we're tied again!!
Yusniel Diaz crushes his second homer of the game! 💪💪💪 #FuturesGame @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/R1syAfKHqB
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 15, 2018
The young outfielder Diaz is one of the top prospects in the Dodger’s farm system on the position player side. He recently hit two home runs in the all-star futures game on Monday evening. The 21-year old Cuban is currently slashing .314/.428/.477 with 6 home runs and a .905 OPS in 264 plate appearances for the Dodger’s double-A affiliate Tulsa.
Manny Machado says he has heard nothing today from the Orioles or his agent.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 17, 2018
#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
Barring last-minute change, #Orioles’ return for Machado will include only prospects, no #Dodgers major leaguers, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 17, 2018
Ross Stripling was told the Dodgers may be acquiring a new shortstop.
"Does his name rhyme with Fanny Fachado?" Stripling said.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) July 17, 2018
Naturally if I could take thousands of Diaz’s and Dustin Mays (One of the other young Dodger players rumored to be heading to Baltimore) I would put them into a basket, or gift wrap them and give them to Baltimore myself. It’s a shame to lose Diaz but you have to give up good players to get good players. The Orioles are not going to just give away Machado for free, nor is any club going to just hand the Dodgers players for nothing. The Dodgers are going to have to give up some players in case you are seriously upset about the possibility of losing Diaz.
On the other hand, the Orioles have almost no leverage in these trade talks. Machado is a free agent after the season and if he leaves to sign with another club, all the Orioles will get is a compensatory draft pick. The Orioles know they have to move him soon or get little to nothing in return for him. The Dodgers and other clubs know this as well. This is likely why you’re not hearing any Walker Buehlers, or Alex Verdugos thrown into this mix.
Getting Machado would immediately make the Dodgers a better team. Adding an impact bat like Machado would be huge. Not only can Machado hit for power, but he’s a naturally great pure hitter. He’s slashing .315/.387/.575 with 24 home runs and a 164 OPS+ in 413 plate appearances for Baltimore. He can play third base too, (715 career games at third base, 148 at shortstop) but he reportedly prefers to play short.
Don’t expect anything to get announced tonight, the evening of the all-star game. It would be very bad PR to announce anything on the same night as the all-star game, especially with Machado playing for the American League and still donning a Baltimore uniform. My money is on the announcement coming on Wednesday or Thursday, but we’ll see. In the meantime watch the all-star game and just imagine Machado wearing a Dodger uniform and batting in the middle of the order and try to stop yourself from drooling all over your couch.
Scott
Check out his walk, to strike out ratio.
It is excellent for a very good hitter, with power.
Machado is a great add. Losing Diaz and May are fine by me. We have lots of OFs and pitchers in their 20s. I think with Roberts being the sunshine personality that he is, we have a good chance to sign him (otherwise FBZ will get rapped for shipping off a load of prospects for half a season).
I won’t rap them. If this actually gets done, it’s worthy of some atta boys. If it doesn’t work? wel…. add it to the list.
The goal of this organization, for years now, is a Championship. That accomplishment seems to be getting harder to achieve. At this point in the season, depending on where you look, oddsmakers don’t like us as much as they do a few other teams. Houston and Boston are very good. The Yankees are a scary bunch. The Cubs have been ranked better than us all year. The odds will change if we add Machado, but we still won’t be favored. And we won’t be favored because evaluating the strength of the 25 man, we just aren’t the best team, even with Machado.
That said, if this happens, I will be excited to see how it works. The chemistry of this team is by all accounts excellent. Adding a personality like Machado will no doubt have an effect. It could make things better, or…….
No doubt Arizona and Colorado aren’t going to like it. Wonder what they intend to do?
Badger
It would be nice to give FAZ credit if this goes through. The fact that they made a real attempt to go for it is great and doing so gives me hope that if they need to make other changes, they truly will make an attempt. I don’t like losing a lot of prospects but at the same time I know that most prospects do not flourish. Don’t look so down Badger. You will still get to do the pushups and you know this has nothing to do with Dummy.
Do I look down to you Pack? I’m excited about this! It isn’t done yet, but it’s close.
This is a game changer. Yes, it’s costly, which makes it risky. And he is just a rental and who knows where he might want to land next year. Being a Miami guy, maybe he would prefer the East Coast. Hollyweird ain’t for everybody, but if he likes it here, if the fit is good, wouldn’t it be fun to know he’s in our lineup for the remainder of his most productive years?
Some tweets this morning are saying this would make us World Series favorites. Maybe to get there, not to win it. Boston is still better. Houston is still better. And other contenders are yet to make moves.
But, if this happens, the rest of THIS year will be far more entertaining for me.
No doubt the Machado deal is a game changer, AND an opinion changer regarding FAZ. This is a really out of character move that just pulled the rug from underneath Michael who will have to reevaluate his whole stance on management. Don’t worry, Michael, we are all as shocked as you! I never thought they would pull this off. Looking forward to see the actual details.
Just a thought, but…. Forsythe, Barnes, Puig and $3MM to the Marlins for Realmuto and a reliever. Forsythe will be gone in October, Puig could be if he chooses, Barnes replaces Realmuto, the Marlins lower their payroll about $10MM next year. Jeter appreciates that…. Grandal to _______ for _______.
Well, we know Puig was a Mattingly favorite, Forsythe is a stud and Barnes is having a banner year so, I see no reason why Miami wouldn’t jump on that one. You may need to increase the dollar amount a bit… say, from $3 million to $30 million
Your sarcasm noted. I already knew you wouldn’t approve but that is your right. Baseball is a game only to the fans, to players and executives, it is a business. Winning is important only to the extent it affects income. The Marlins in general and Jeter in particular want to reduce expenses to increase profitability. Winning…yeah, well…….
Look, you want to dump Forsythe to Miami you will need to include enough prospects to make it worth it to them. Their agenda is clear and taking on the salary of our mistake ain’t part of the plan. And why in the world would they trade Realmuto? He’s a 27 year old All Star that makes $2.9 million and isn’t eligible for free agency until 2021. Miami can build around him for 2 more years. And Puig? I think Mattingly would walk off the job if management sent that guy into his clubhouse. They might consider him if they had a flip already arranged, which I suppose is possible. I question Puig’s value to other teams.
You know me Jonah, I’ll work with you on any deal, but that one, as constructed, is dead on the desk.
OK. Realmuto won’t make $2.9MM next year, arbitration will turn that into $6MM plus, and up again the next year. It’s all about money. The $3MM about pays Puig’s remaining salary. His presence will hype the attendance for the rest of the season. After that, all they have to do is non-tender him if they choose. Barnes will cost them $600K next year and not much different in succeeding years unless he improves drastically. Forsythe will cost them about $3MM the rest of the season and then he is just a bad memory… The Marlin’s payroll next year takes a nice drop unless they choose to sign free agents, and I’ll cover that bet.
As Badger stated he’s 27, an all-star and under club control.
You don’t think the Marlins can do better on the open market than an about to become expensive Puig, an underperforming Barnes and a valueless Forsythe?
Badger
I agree with you we were a better team last year, and I still wish we would have got JD Martinez last year, but because it looked like everyone was hitting right before the trade deadline last year, they didn’t go after JD, so I understand why they didn’t get him.
We can’t count on certain hitters on this team to hit consistently, especially when they don’t have a history of hitting consistently, especially when they have had plenty of chances, to prove they can hit.
Since I am the last one here everyday because I am on the west coast, I guess that deal was not true, since it was suppose to happen right after the Allstar game.
Because of this, I think they are only going to go after a couple arms for the pen, like I originally thought.
It could still happen MJ. I just heard that the medical clearance is being held up because one of the Dodgers prospects has bunions.
Badger
I am not holding my breath, but this did have me going yesterday.
Because our GM said they were going to act sooner this year, to get the most out of their rentals.
I thought maybe our front office told the Orioles this deal would only happen, if they did it by today.
But that owner isn’t known for using his money our assets smartly, especially after that owner gave the Oriole’s first baseman, a couple of years ago.
An interesting question on Pack’s favorite subject in a recent Athletic chat:
Q: Why hasn’t Dave Roberts been extended? Is it because Friedman never wanted him in first place?
A: Pedro Moura Wow, you are coming in hot. I expect Dave Roberts to be the Dodgers’ manager next season.
And on the Dodgers OF logjam:
Q: Any sense of which OF would be first to go in a trade? Kemp’s stock has never been higher, and unloading that $21M seems like would be important. Related, thoughts on how hard they will try to get back under luxury tax threshold?
A: Pedro Moura They are still under the threshold, as I understand it. I don’t think Kemp’s trade value is all that high, actually. I think the most likely candidate to be traded is Yasiel Puig, because he is playing reasonably well when healthy and drawing some money, but not too much. Of course, his oblique injury complicates things.
“his oblique injury complicates things”
He misspoke. He meant to say “his oblique sublimation complicates things” – so, substitute that and I think it probably clarifies things pretty good by itself.
?
Bluto
Your usual answer? Excuse me, it must have went over your head.
it did! 100%
can you explain it to me?
Not surprising if you knew where his head was…
I don’t care where Badger’s head is, or package’s!
I just want clarification!
Who’s head you talkin ‘bout?
Bluto
I don’t have time to explain it to you. Just keep thinking the way you think.
Thanks Package, no biggie. Not your obligation.
sublimation: modifying a natural expression of an impulse or instinct to one that is more socially acceptable.
In another word – behavior
If I have to explain the rest of the joke to you it might be difficult because clearly you are not caught up on current events
To sum it up – it was an attempt at humor.
Alas, too literal was I being.
Thanks.
Just try to always keep in mind I’m an illiteral.
With all of this talk about head, you guys must be bored already, but things are going to speed up come Friday, because the Dodgers are going to play 17 straight games, and against some good teams.
It will be interesting to see the Brewers this year, with their new additions in their outfield.
Cain and Yellich, as everyone
already knows here, are a couple of good players.
And I can see these two guys really helping this team, because last year this team struck out quite a bit, and more then most teams, and Yellich and Cain, are a couple of players that can put the ball in play.
I guess the Brewer’s biggest weakness, is their pitching.
Looks like the deal is going through sometime this evening, Baltimore is OK on the medicals, they just read slow… I expect there are other deals working that FAZ wants to keep secret until this one completes. Sure hope there are some relief pitchers coming and that slug Forsythe goes somewhere.
Jonah
I just heard the same on the Dodger radio channel!
Orioles getting Diaz, Kramer, Bannon, Pop, Valera, source tells The Athletic.
As per Passan:
In back-to-back years, the Los Angeles Dodgers have dealt for the biggest name on the trade market. In a National League as wide open as any in recent memory, Dodgers are using a deep farm system to make a play for back-to-back NL pennants. Now they need a bullpen arm or two.
Diaz is the only top-100 type. Kremer could be something. Bannon undersized 3B crushing in Cal League. Pop is a reliever, Valera 26-year-old in AAA, who I kinda liked.
I am not as familiar as some, when it comes to our farm guys, but that deal sounds pretty good, because we didn’t have to give up Verdugo.
Because he is a very good hitter.
It will be interesting to see their other moves too!
I hope they can some how move Forsythe, or just let him go, but I don’t know if they would do the later.
Surprised the Dodgers didn’t get International $$, as Baltimore does very little on that front.
I just read in the LA Times, that the Dodgers May have to trade an outfielder, before the trade deadline.
And the outfielder that McCullough mentions, is Puig.
I am very surprised that McCullough would mention Puig, myself.
MJ
Pug will get expensive soon. Will he be worth a much higher salary?
If you look at the trade through this prism:
Yusniel Diaz: Signed for ~$30M out of Cuba
Zach Pop: 7th-round pick, 2017
Rylan Bannon: 8th round, 2017
Dean Kremer: 14th round, 2016
Breyvic Valera: Acquired for Johan Mieses, who two scouts believe won’t be a big leaguer
You can make the case that a combination of the Dodgers financial well-being (having excess money to spend internationally) and the Dodgers players development enabled them to procure Machado without giving up or really depleting the system.
Thanks Bluto!
How does the money work out at this time, before they make another move?
I’m not sure what you are asking there, but I think you want info on Puig’s salary:
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/yasiel-puig-11575/
I think she’s asking with Machado how close are we to the tax threshold. According to ESPN “they will apparently stay under the threshold”. I figured it would be close. Now if they lose Forsythe, or Puig, we could add deGrom.
Oh. OK. Thanks.
Yes, Badger I believe nailed it. It’s close to the threshold.
That is quite a package of prospects that were traded to the Orioles. Many are probably wondering why the Orioles would take many ‘unknowns’ for their star. Aside from having their backs up against the wall financially, and the possibility of Manny walking in free agency, they have just received a lot of potentially excellent baseball players. I’m sure something will come of a number of these players and will help them in their rebuild.
Aside from that, it is going to be exciting to see what will change on the Dodgers side. A great deal has been made!!