Manny Machado is the best player presumably available for trade ahead of Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline, so it’s no secret plenty of teams are inquiring with the Baltimore Orioles about the shortstop.
And the Boston Red Sox reportedly are among those teams.
The Red Sox reportedly have been in contact with the O’s about Machado, according to Peter Schmuck, the Baltimore Sun’s Orioles insider. Boston had a scout in attendance at Baltimore’s game against the New York Yankees on Tuesday at Camden Yards, Schmuck reported, citing two sources.
While that news may be exciting for Sox fans, it appears it may be nothing more than due diligence, as FanCred Sports’ Jon Heyman noted the conversations aren’t overly serious at this juncture.
In addition to the luxury tax potentially being an obstacle, the issue of where exactly Machado would play also could be a problem.
Machado has been adamant that wherever he goes he wants to play shortstop in lieu of moving back to third base. Xander Bogaerts has been swinging a good bat for the Red Sox to compliment solid defense at short, meaning the logical solution would be for Machado to play ahead of Rafael Devers at third base.
Even if Bogaerts was to move given he’s logged some time at the hot corner at the big league level, that is a good amount of shifting on the left side of the infield, all at the expense of a budding prospect like Devers.
Furthermore, Machado will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, meaning it’s no slam dunk he chooses to re-sign with whatever team he’s traded to.
Still, he’s one of the game’s most exciting players, so it shouldn’t be a shock that the Red Sox are voicing some interest.
