Manny Machado, All-Star shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for five prospects.
While the Orioles are getting rid of arguably their best homegrown player since Carl Ripken Jr., they are getting in return 21-year-old Cuban outfielder Yusniel Díaz, right-handed pitcher Dean Kremer, right-handed reliever Zach Pop, third baseman Rylan Bannon and second baseman Breyvic Valera.
Machado (24 homers, .315 batting average, and 65 RBIs) is a huge difference maker that should help the Dodgers right away and perhaps will make them the team to beat now not only in their own division but perhaps the whole National League. Furthermore, he ranks second in batting average, hits and RBIs and is tied for first in home runs among shortstops in all of baseball.
The fact that they were able to get him without touching their 25-man roster is a brilliant move. It has the potential to become the last piece the Dodgers (53-43) needed to finally distance themselves from the Arizona Diamondbacks (53-44) and the rest of the N.L West.
Machado and the Dodgers are a perfect fit for each other. L.A had been looking for a shortstop since Corey Seager went down with an elbow injury on April 30 and it was revealed the following day that he would miss the rest of the season to undergo Tommy John surgery to reconstruct his elbow.
Machado is on a one-year contract and should fill the spot nicely while Seager is down and after the season the Dodgers will have enough time to decide if they let him walk away or sing him to a new deal.
By going to the Dodgers Machado gets the opportunity to play in a winning team and compete for a championship, something he did in 2014 when the Orioles were swept in the ALCS by the Kansas City Royals.
Although the Orioles returned to the postseason in 2016, it was an extremely short appearance as they lost the A.L wild-card game against the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 in extra-innings.
This year, after a slow start the Dodgers finally found their groove as they have gone 37-17 after being 16-26 on May 16.
As good as this move is the Dodgers still need to add quality pitchers to win the World Series. Although they may prove to be the class of the National League in the second half, they will need to improve their arm talent to compete with the likes of the Houston Astros, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees out in the American League.
Ideally, they should another starting pitcher to pair with Clayton Kershaw and another reliever to solidify their rotation. If they can’t find both they should make sure to add at least one of those before the trade deadline on July 31.
The good news? They still have the money and resources that they need to accomplish that.
