The Baltimore Orioles are driving a hard bargain for Manny Machado. That’s best illustrated in the offer that they reportedly turned down from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In exchange for Manny Machado, the Dodgers offered up their No. 1 (Alex Verdugo) and No. 8 (Yadier Alvarez) prospects – as per Jim Bowden.
Foolish of the Orioles to decline this. The stubbornness is all too familiar, sadly. Was a fair offer for what’s only a three month rental.
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) July 8, 2018
The Dodgers had recently been reported as the team with the best offer. No word on whether this changes that.
Other reports have suggested that a deal may be imminent.
Source on where the Orioles seem to be in their Manny Machado trade process: "(Opponents') Thirty-five yard-line, and driving."
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 8, 2018
We certainly understand Baltimore driving a hard bargain. Machado is one of the best players in baseball, let alone on the trade market.
But if the Orioles indeed rejected that offer, things get tricky. Verdugo and Alvarez is a good package, especially for a player who’ll be a free agent at season’s end.
If these are the kind of offers that the Orioles are rejecting, it gets more likely that no deal will be reached. At that point, Baltimore will be a team well on its way to not only 100-plus losses, but also to losing a franchise player in free agency with nothing more than a compensation pick coming back.