Is Mannywood coming back to Los Angeles?
Rumors have been swirling for weeks about where Baltimore Orioles shortstop and MVP candidate Manny Machado could be traded to this season, but for the first time it appears a deal is close to happening with the Dodgers.
The frontrunner to land Machado has seemingly changed on a daily basis, from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the New York Yankees, to the Philadelphia Phillies and even the Milwaukee Brewers.
However, early Tuesday morning, nearly every Major League baseball insider reported the same thing: a tentative deal was in place between the Dodgers and Orioles.
According to our own sources at NBC LA, the terms of a deal are in place, and the announcement could come as soon as Wednesday morning.
Early reports indicate that the Orioles are interested in a bevy of young Dodger prospects including No. 1 prospect Alex Verdugo, No. 8 prospect Yadier Alvarez, No. 10 prospect Dustin May, and No. 12 prospect Gavin Lux.
However, what could have put the Dodgers over the top in the Machado sweepstakes was a two-homer performance by No. 4 prospect Yusniel Diaz in the Futures Game on Sunday.
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According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the Orioles are interested in both Alvarez and Diaz in a deal for Machado.
Reports suggested last week that the Dodgers were looking to send veteran infielder Logan Forysthe back in any deal for Machado in order to stay under the luxury tax, but Ken Rosenthal is reporting that as of right now, Forysthe is not included in the deal for Machado.
One advantage of trading for Machado two weeks before the July 31 trade deadline, is that it would allow Los Angeles ample time to trade Forysthe or perhaps another veteran player with a large contract, in order to remain under the luxury tax threshold.
Machado has been linked to the Dodgers since last offseason, and that speculation ramped up in late April when it was announced that two-time All-Star shortstop Corey Seager would undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.
The Machado deal would likely keep him away from the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks who have also been in talks with Machado all season. The Dodgers currently sit just a half-game ahead of Arizona for first place in the National League West.
Machado is considered a "rental" for whichever team trades for him, as he is a free-agent at the end of the season, and all indications are he prefers to remain at shortstop for the forseeable future.
That complicates matters for Los Angeles who have told Seager he will resume his role as the team's starting shortstop once he's ready to return. Reports say that the Yankees could be interested in Machado this offseason.
The next 24 to 48 hours are sure to be interesting, as Machado appears to be the first domino to fall in what could be an action packed trade season over the next couple weeks.
