MLB trade rumors: Snag in Orioles-Red Sox Manny Machado talks is good news for Yankees

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado will become a free agent after the 2018 MLB season. So Baltimore GM Dan Duquette is looking to move Machado before the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31, 2018 (7/31/18). Both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have been mentioned as possible suitors for the MVP candidate.

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To trade, or not to trade, that is the question facing Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette.

He knows shortstop Manny Machado will walk after the season. So does Duquette sell him off to a contender before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline? And if so, to whom, because a player of Machado’s caliber could swing the balance in any pennant race.

Over the last week there has been a lot of chatter about the Boston Red Sox showing interest in Machado, perhaps as a third baseman.

Of course, where there are the Red Sox, there are the Yankees, with another rumor suggesting New York isn’t quite out of the Machado sweepstakes.

But perhaps all that is about to change, because The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports talks between the Red Sox and Orioles don’t seem to be going anywhere:

The Boston Red Sox are among the clubs to contact the Orioles about Manny Machado, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski concluded the teams likely do not match up on a trade at this time, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.

It is not clear which players the Orioles wanted from the Red Sox, whose farm system ranked 24th out of 30 in Baseball America’s preseason organization ratings, then took a hit when their top prospect, third baseman Michael Chavis, received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

The idea I floated last week– third baseman Rafael Devers for Machado and possibly others — was speculative, and a non-starter if the Red Sox are committed to Devers. Fans of both clubs informed me on Twitter that I had lost my mind, which led me to conclude either A) my concept had merit or B) my friends and relatives all these years have been right.

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Machado is having an MVP-caliber season. He’s among the American League leaders in home runs (18), RBI (53), and batting average (.310).

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.