MLB trade rumors: More dots connecting Phillies to Orioles’ Manny Machado

Two insiders continue to push the idea of Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado landing with the Phillies by the July 31, 2018 (7/31/18) non-waiver trade deadline. Machado and Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper are scheduled to become free agents after the 2018 season.

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Trade rumor season is officially here.

As the calendar flips to June 1, enough time in the baseball season has surpassed to take surprise teams seriously, really look at the standings and project forward between now and the stretch run.

For the Phillies, it means this: 31 wins in 54 games, outstanding starting pitching and what could be a three-team NL East race with the Braves and Nationals.

It also means connection to major trade rumors as a buyer–specifically in the case of Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado.

In the latest industry speculation, two insiders–Jon Heyman of FRS Baseball and Bob Nightengale of USA Today–imagine Machado landing in Philadelphia before the July 31 Major League Baseball trade deadline.

Here’s Heyman’s trade idea.

Machado to the Phillies for shortstop prospect Arquimedes Gamboa and pitching prospects Enyel De Los Santos and Jose Taveras.

The Phillies love Machado, may have the greatest need for him now (the Cubs may have to emphasize starting pitching now) and a plethora of prospects. De Los Santos came from San Diego for Freddy Galvis. Another thought might be for the Phillies to offer second baseman Cesar Hernandez, a good player who is blocking the beloved Scott Kingery at second and was available last winter, though the guess here is that the Phillies are disinclined to trade the thriving Hernandez at this point.

Nightengale predicts Machado will land with the Phillies over teams like the Cubs and Cardinals.

Machado goes to the Phillies, who spent $169 million during the winter on free agents Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana, and still have plenty of cash. The Phillies, who have five front office executives who are former Orioles’ employees, outbid the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals, believing that not only can he help get them to the postseason this year, but it increases their odds of signing him when he hits free agency. The price tag won’t be nearly as high as wildly anticipated considering no one provided the Orioles with a strong offer in December, when teams would have had him for an entire season and not just two months.

Machado pros and cons

Machado enters play on June 1 sporting a .324/.392/.612 slash line. The 25-year-old will be a free agent when the 2018 season ends.

Joe Giglio may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.