Baltimore Orioles: Is it time to think about trading Manny Machado?
By Jason Evans
The Baltimore Orioles aren’t going anywhere this year. With Manny Machado a free agent after next season, is it time to think about trading him?
The Baltimore Orioles are going nowhere and fast. They have three players who basically play the same position in Chris Davis, Trey Mancini and Mark Trumbo. Their farm system is lacking. They don’t spend internationally, instead, they trade their slots for pitchers like Matt Wotherspoon, Damien Magnifico and Alex Katz. Not exactly Clayton Kershaw. In part because of this, the Orioles have a weak farm system.
There are also problems at the major league level. The Orioles don’t like stealing bases, their team leader has five all season. They are 22nd in runs and doubles, 18th in average and 23rd in OPS.
Their pitching isn’t much better. 29th in ERA, 27th in quality starts. They have allowed the most runs in the game and are 26th in strikeouts.
If the Orioles are willing to trade Zach Britton now, they should also seriously consider swapping Manny Machado to extract maximum value.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 17, 2017
Manny Machado is their superstar, however, he has really struggled this season. His walk rate is up, however, his OBP is below .300 and his BABIP is just .242 compared to .309 last season.
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His main problem is a lack of line drives. His line drive percentage is down seven percent compared to last year. Machado still has a ton of value, even with his down season. However, he is set to be a major part of the free agent class of 2018 and a team is going to back up a huge truck of money for him.
That team, will more than likely not be the Baltimore Orioles. Peter Angelos is not one to give out huge contracts and most likely regrets the one they gave to Davis which is going to be an albatross moving forward.
The Orioles wouldn’t even be able to recoup a first round pick if Machado leaves as a free agent with the new rules in the CBA.
Machado would be an impact bat that the Orioles could get multiple prospects for and start to turn over parts of the roster, especially in the starting pitching department which has been a disaster this season.
They would never trade him to the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees, however, other teams would line up for that kind of bat in a trade. He could settle the St. Louis Cardinals third base situation for example, plus the Cardinals have young pitching they could use in a deal for Machado.
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While the Orioles would be selling low on Machado if they were to do it right now, they have to at least ponder it as we are 13 days from the trade deadline. If they do trade Britton, like the rumors floating around suggest they may, they have to go all in and deal Machado. Even if they don’t yet deal Britton, they probably should think about dealing Machado now anyway.