MLB Trade Rumors: Manny Machado To Yankees And Ellsbury To Orioles Is Possible, Says Ken Rosenthal

The MLB trade rumors circulating around Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles continue, and The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal believes he has a way for the New York Yankees to land him. It would involve Jacoby Ellsbury in a blockbuster trade with the Orioles, but would give New York yet another key piece to upgrade their roster heading into the 2018 MLB season. Here’s what Rosenthal believes is necessary for the Yankees to bring Manny Machado on board.

Rosenthal says the first step in making this deal happen would require that the Yankees make a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. New York would send the Rays some mid-level prospects in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi. Once that deal has been done, the Yankees can package Odorizzi, along with outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and a prospect, to send over to the Baltimore Orioles.

Rosenthal suggests that prospect might be third baseman Miguel Andujar. He also says the Yankees would need to pay about half of the $68.4 million owed on Ellsbury’s remaining contract. Still, that move alone would help the team stay under the luxury tax with all their offseason moves.

In exchange for all the players and pieces, New York would be able to add infielder Manny Machado to the roster. That would complement the key members of the lineup they already have in place, such as their sluggers, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.

There is a potential snag in terms of Rosenthal’s proposed blockbuster deal. As MLB.com reported, Ellsbury can hold up any sort of trade due to his contract’s no-trade clause. It’s also mentioned that the Baltimore Orioles may not want to make a trade that helps one of their division rivals improve their lineup so much. In fact, Baltimore could trade for Odorizzi on their own without needing the Yankees’ help to facilitate the deal. With that said, this proposed trade idea is definitely a long shot, but if New York can somehow persuade the Orioles to make it happen, it could be lethal for the rest of the league.

One thing is certain, though: a New York Yankees team which adds Manny Machado to the lineup becomes that much tougher to contend with. There are probably a good number of other teams who would prefer the Orioles don’t negotiate with the enemy, as they’d only make them stronger heading into the 2018 MLB season.