Many believe a trade for Manny Machado this season would be a trade for a rental player.
Machado’s contract expires at season’s end, making it more than conceivable that the Baltimore Orioles will deal the star shortstop by the deadline to avoid losing him for nothing this winter.
For a team with legitimate World Series aspirations, having Machado for three months could be worth it. But if you’re the Chicago Cubs, Machado might be able to help you compete for a title beyond just the 2018 campaign.
“In the odd chance they do trade Machado, the team I’d watch for is the Chicago Cubs,” FanRag Sports’ Rober Murray writes.
“One person close to Machado believes if there was a team he’d consider re-signing with before hitting free agency, it’s the Cubs.”
From a pure baseball standpoint, there aren’t many situations better set up for both the now and the future than the Cubs. Chicago is loaded with young talent still ahead of their primes, so if Machado is looking to potentially add some championship rings to his fingers, the Cubbies would be a strong fit.
That said, Machado surely will want to cash in once he hits the open market, so he very well could just go to the highest bidder.
