Manny Machado Reportedly Available Via Trade; Should Red Sox Be Interested?
BOSTON (CBS) -- The reigning National League MVP was traded into the AL East this week. A potential future MVP may be on his way out.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Orioles have put Manny Machado on the trading block.
The 25-year-old Machado has just one year left on his contract, but the Orioles neverthless are seeking "two young, controllable starting pitchers" in return for one year of Machado's service.
Rosenthal also noted that Machado wants to make a shift from third base to shortstop for the 2018 season, adding a bit of a curveball for his value in the trade.
According to Deadspin, the Rosenthal article notes that the Yankees are the only team with which the Orioles will not trade, which theoretically would put the Red Sox in the pool of contenders to land Machado's services.
Of course, why the Red Sox or any team would be willing to give up two controllable starting pitchers for one year of Machado remains slightly mysterious, so it's safe to assume the price tag on Machado may take some various shapes during the winter.
But ... if Machado really does want to play shortstop ... and if the Red Sox don't see Xander Bogaerts (a free agent in 2020) as the franchise shortstop of the future ... and if they have some money to play around with for the next, say, seven years ... then would you want Boston to make a move to swap Bogaerts (and another player, almost certainly a top prospect) for Machado?
It may seem ludicrous, considering the Red Sox share a division with the Orioles and considering last year's Red Sox-Machado beef that played out early in the season. But if the Orioles like the certainty of Bogaerts under control for the next three seasons, and if the Red Sox are looking to dedicate their next massive contract to Machado, then it's certainly plausible. The fact that the Yankees just acquired the best power hitter in baseball in Giancarlo Stanton might also motivate the Red Sox to add a player of Machado's caliber.
Machado, 25, owns a .279 batting average and .805 OPS with 138 home runs in his six-year MLB career. He's averaged 35 home runs per year over the last three seasons.
He's only started 49 of his 764 MLB games at shortstop, starting the rest at third base, where he's won two Gold Glove Awards.
