It seemed for a while there that the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies might be battling it out for a chance to add All-Star shortstop Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles.
In what should be a heated National League East race moving forward, adding someone of Machado’s ilk could make all the difference in the world.
Unfortunately for fans in Philadelphia, it looks like their team is out of the race. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Phillies have moved on from Machado trade talks.
Source says Phillies have moved on from Machado for now, as Orioles’ asking price is too high. My colleague @ToddZolecki reported yesterday that the Phillies were “considered longshots” for Machado.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 6, 2018
We noted earlier in the week that both Philadelphia and Atlanta were in on the 26-year-old superstar. But for now, it appears that Baltimore’s asking price is too high for one of the division rivals.
Set to become a free agent this winter, Machado is hitting .308 with 21 homers and 59 RBI for what could be an historically bad Orioles team.
The closer we get to the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31, the likelier it is that these Orioles are going to have to lower their asking price. Are they really willing to lose Machado for nothing more than a compensatory pick once free agency comes calling? We’re not entirely too sure about that.