Chicago Cubs: Manny Machado trade to Chicago makes sense for no one
While the Orioles continue to lose and the Chicago Cubs look for a spark to their offense, an exchange between the two clubs may make sense on the surface. But the specific needs for each club make a Manny Machado deal seem near impossible.
Rumors of Manny Machado being traded have been circulating for a while now – last trade deadline, this offseason and now again with the next trade deadline still over two months away. As it’s been since the rumors began, the question seems more of a matter of when than if, but are the Chicago Cubs really the right fit?
With the trade being nearly inevitable, baseball media markets around the country are speculating about how Machado could end up in their city. Chicago has been no different, but for the Chicago Cubs, it makes very little sense.
Not the season for a rental
The last time the Cubs rented a player it was Aroldis Chapman in 2016. You could say it worked out well for them. But there was a significant difference between that season and that trade and a potential trade for Machado.
The Cubs were the best team in baseball in 2016 and they only needed an arm in the back of the pen to be a complete team. In 2018, however, one piece isn’t going to change what the Cubs are. Manny Machado isn’t likely to be the difference that makes a World Series championship. And at the end of the season—when Machado hits free agency—the Cubs will be the same team but with one fewer Addison Russells or Kyle Schwarbers.
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Cubs don’t have what Orioles need
The Orioles are a rebuilding team. They are more likely to be interested in a haul of prospects for Machado than one or two major league pieces.
The Cubs have just completed a rebuild and therefore their farm system is depleted as any. Their last top prospects moved across the city in 2017 in exchange for Jose Quintana. Sure, Addison Russell is about the same age as some top prospects and comes with the bonus quality of having some major league success. But do the Orioles really want to take one struggling shortstop when they could get more than one top prospect elsewhere?
Waiting for the offseason
One big bat won’t change the course of the 2018 Cubs. They have the offensive prowess to make a run as it is. And with the way the Cubs have built their window of contention, no one season is going to be the season anymore. The Cubs aren’t trying to win it in any one given season; they’re trying to be in the postseason every year and take one or two by being there annually.
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Renting Machado in exchange for one of their pillars is directly averse to those goals. But if you look up and see who’s available this offseason—including Machado himself—it looks like a much better opportunity to find a player and a contract more in line with the Cubs’ goals.