MLB Trade Rumors: Will Manny Machado End Up Becoming a Member of the Los Angeles Dodgers Later This Season?
Season-ending injury to Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager has prompted speculation that the team could be looking for a replacement
After coming one win shy of taking the World Series last year, the Los Angeles Dodgers headed into the 2018 MLB season with a clear goal of making it back to the championship round.
Thus far, though, instead of looking like a team destined to show up in the World Series for a second consecutive year, the Dodgers seem more like a club that may struggle to even stay in the playoff race.
The Dodgers are currently under .500, and some of their best players have had a rough start to this year.
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Even more concerning for the team is that the injuries have continued to pile up, and recently, their dynamic shortstop, Corey Seager, was just ruled out for the rest of this season after it was discovered that he needed surgery to address an elbow injury.
Things really couldn't have gone worse for the Dodgers in the opening month of the 2018 season, and if there's any hope for them to make something good out of this year, they will need to start the turnaround sometime soon.
That need to start turning things around sooner rather than later could explain why the Dodgers are now being mentioned as a team that could be interested in trading for current Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado.
Obviously, Machado would fit in quite well with the Dodgers right now as he could slide right into Seager's spot. Plus, with Machado on an absolute tear to start the season, he could breathe new life into the Dodgers' offense.
In a recent article for FRS Network, MLB insider Jon Heyman did report that the Dodgers are talking about possibly acquiring Machado now, but they also recognize that it doesn't seem likely that a trade will happen at this point.
For what it's worth, it doesn't seem that Machado himself is super excited about potentially being moved.
Speaking recently to some members of the media, Machado said that he would like to stay with the Orioles for the rest of this season and that he wants to win with his current teammates as well, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Machado did admit that he cannot control what will happen over the coming months, however.
Even if Machado did leave the door open for him possibly being traded, it's still far from guaranteed that the Dodgers will be the team to acquire him.
Sure, the Dodgers may not be playing as well as expected thus far, and missing the postseason is starting to seem like a genuine possibility, but even so, that does not mean that they should give up valuable prospects in exchange for a player who can leave after this season.
The Dodgers are young and deep enough that they should be able to bounce back relatively quickly even if this season continues to go south.
Unless the Dodgers receive a massive discount for Machado, it's likely that they will not end up trading for him this year.
More news about the latest MLB trade rumors should be made available in the near future.
