The Los Angeles Dodgers’ greatest need is pitching. But, with a scarcity of top-flight pitching available in trade, the Dodgers decided to improve their team with the best player they could get.
The Dodgers acquired Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, in exchange for a package of five prospects headlined by Class AA outfielder Yusniel Diaz.
“We viewed Manny Machado as a big difference maker,” Dodgers General Manager Farhan Zaidi said Wednesday night.
The other four players in the deal are Class AA pitcher Dean Kremer, Class A pitcher Zach Pop, Class A infielder Rylan Bannon and Class AAA utility player Breyvic Valera.
Baltimore did not send any cash in the deal.
With Machado’s salary and Maeda’s bonuses, the Dodgers will have less than $4 million available to improve their bullpen. The team could attempt to shed salary by moving big leaguers such as second baseman Logan Forsythe, pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu or outfielder Yasiel Puig.
Machado, 26, a four-time All-Star, essentially becomes the replacement for the injured Corey Seager at shortstop, who is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May. He is expected to join the Dodgers on Friday in Milwaukee to start the second half.
The Dodgers are in a close race in the NL West, leading Arizona by a half-game going into the second half.
“Our first hope is we have a division-winning roster,” Zaidi said. “Any time you have a chance to add an impact player in a tight division race that’s something you have to look at closely.”
Machado is eligible for free agency after the season. The Dodgers probably would need to give him the richest contract in franchise history — perhaps twice the $215 million deal awarded to Clayton Kershaw — to retain Machado into next season and beyond, when Seager is expected to return.
But that is an issue for later. For now, in pursuit of their first World Series championship since 1988, the Dodgers made their team stronger without giving up any of the players on their current roster.
Machado is one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters. He entered the break with a .315 batting average, 24 home runs and a .963 on-base-plus-slugging percentage — ranking among the American League’s top six in each category — backed up by a career-low strikeout rate and a career-high walk rate.
Zaidi said Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts has explained to Machado how much the team values flexibility and versatility in playing different positions.
“Manny being flexible with that and being able to move between shortstop and third, we believe he can be an asset at both those positions,” Zaidi said. “When JT (Justin Turner) is down, Manny’s ability and willingness to play third base on those occasions will be really important going forward. Everybody is sort of on the same page about that.”
Sports on 07/19/2018