The Baltimore Orioles are expected to have a busy month leading into the July 31 trade deadline. Their main item of business? Finding the best possible deal in exchange for shortstop and impending free agent Manny Machado.
Predictably, the Orioles have already drummed up a bidding war for their franchise player -- a busy one, too. According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, the O's have thus far received offers from seven teams. Here's more from Encina:
The Orioles have received offers from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs, and the offers rank in that order of appeal, according to the source.
Interestingly enough, Encina notes that Alex Verdugo -- arguably the Dodgers top trade candidate -- is not included in their outstanding offer to the Orioles.
Verdugo, a consensus top-40 prospect entering the spring, has spent much of his age-22 season in Triple-A, where he's hit .350/.393/.513. MLB.com currently ranks him as the top prospect in the Dodgers system, with their scouting report noting he has the chance for five average or better tools. It's clear why the Orioles may covet Verdugo -- and why the Dodgers want to keep him.
We'll see if the Orioles can land Verdugo or a similar prospect in the coming weeks. Lord knows they should have the ability to add something nice, provided they leverage the market correctly.
Machado, by the way, entered Saturday hitting .310/.381/.560 with 21 home runs and nearly as many walks (40) as strikeouts (50).