The New York Yankees trail the Boston Red Sox in the American League East as the MLB All-Star break approaches, and it sounds like the Bronx Bombers are intent on bolstering their roster for an intense division title race.
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is the most coveted player on the trade market, at least among non-pitchers, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman provided an update Wednesday on the Yankees’ interest in the 26-year-old star.
The Yankees probably will have plenty of competition for Machado, maybe even from the rival Boston Red Sox. It’s been reported that the Orioles would be willing to deal Machado to the Yanks if top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield is in the deal.
Giving up Sheffield for a potential rental would be a huge risk for New York, but Machado is good enough to be the final piece for a team’s championship puzzle. He’s enjoying a fantastic season to this point, with a .314 batting average, 23 home runs, 63 RBI and a .383 on-base percentage.
The risk in acquiring Machado is that he can become an unrestricted free agent in the winter, and he’s likely to command a very expensive, lengthy contract on the open market.
The Orioles would be wise to move him before the deadline and add prospects to their rebuild, and a bidding war between the Yankees and other contenders is the best-case scenario for Baltimore.
