The Boston Red Sox have an obvious need at third base. So, why not acquire one of the best third basemen in the game?
It’s obviously not that simple, but ESPN’s Buster Olney outlined a hypothetical trade proposal involving Manny Machado that might be very intriguing to Red Sox fans. In a “SportsCenter” appearance Tuesday, Olney explained that the Baltimore Orioles, who enter Wednesday five games below .500, could be sellers at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Machado, their All-Star third baseman, is under contract through 2018, but there’s “no expectation within the industry” that Baltimore will re-sign him to keep him out of free agency next winter, according to Olney. That’s where Boston comes in.
“If you know you’re probably not going to win in 2018,” Olney said, “you might as well put Machado out there and see if you can draw a big offer from a team like the Red Sox, who right now have a big hole at third base.
“They have this terrific high-end prospect, Rafael Devers, down in their system, and maybe you coax the Red Sox into putting Devers on the table for a year and a half of Manny Machado. It’s something the Orioles should at least explore.”
Devers, the Red Sox’s top prospect and the No. 12 prospect in baseball, was just promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket and is considered the third baseman of the future if he sticks around. But if Boston really is in “win now” mode, a trade for Machado would be very tempting indeed. While the three-time All-Star is batting just .238 this season, he’s widely considered one of the best two-way third basemen in baseball.
Before Sox fans get too worked up, Olney is just speculating, and the Orioles have made no indication they’re willing to trade Machado, especially to an American League East rival with whom he has quite a bit of history. But this situation certainly is worth keeping an eye on over the next two weeks.
Thumbnail photo via Patrick McDermott/USA TODAY Sports Images
