Manny Machado was one of the most talked about players in rumors this past offseason, but the Baltimore Orioles didn’t end up dealing him. Now, it appears that the Orioles could be opening up to the idea of trading their star shortstop. Baltimore knows that Machado is unlikely to re-sign with the team following the season, which will force them to entertain trade offers.
If the Orioles do end up putting Machado on the trade block, there are quite a few teams that will throw an offer at them. One of those teams could end up being the Chicago Cubs.
According to a report from Chicago Sun-Times , the Cubs are expected to engage in trade discussions with the Orioles at some point in the near future.
Joe Maddon’s team has not gotten off to the start that they were looking for this season. They are currently 17-15 on the season and have been unable to get their offense ignited for the most part. Machado, on the other hand, has gotten off to a hot start this season and would be a huge addition for the Cubs’ offense.
Machado has already recorded a 0.346 batting average to go along with nine home runs and 27 RBI’s. That kind of production would like nice in the Cubs’ lineup.
Unfortunately, the Cubs would likely have to trade one or two of their current Major League players to get the deal done. Addison Russell is one name that has been brought up quite often in the Machado rumors, while Mike Montgomery is another name that could be of interest to Baltimore. Albert Almora Jr. has also been mentioned as a piece that the Orioles might like, but that could hinder the Cubs’ chances of keeping Machado past this season.
Cubs expected to talk trade for Manny Machado ‘in the coming weeks,’ per @GDubCub https://t.co/mi3ggxlBWQ pic.twitter.com/fGeKbylnTM
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) May 8, 2018
Almora and Machado are childhood friends and keeping the talented outfielder might be a key to getting a long-term deal done with Machado. He talked about his desire to play with Machado recently.
”That would be special. It’s something we’ve always talked about growing up. We were always so confident. We always said, ‘Man, we’ve got to try to play together in our [big-league] careers one day.’ I’ll have to start sweet-talking Theo a little bit and see what we can do.”
Chicago has been viewed as one of the best potential landing spots for Machado since the offseason. They could pair Machado and Javier Baez in the infield should they acquire the 25-year-old infielder.
Trading Russell would be a tough move for the Cubs to make. He has been a big part of rebuilding the Cubs into a serious contender and was a huge part of their World Series win back in 2016.
All of that being said, acquiring a talent like Machado isn’t an opportunity that comes around all the time. If the Cubs can put together a package that the Orioles like, it would not be surprising to see Machado on the north side of Chicago before the trade deadline.
