Manny Machado Trade Rumors: Orioles Checking on Phillies Prospects
July 13, 2018
The Manny Machado sweepstakes is heating up, and as a result, the Baltimore Orioles are doing their homework in order to try to get the best deal possible.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on Friday that the Orioles are scouting some of the top prospects in the Philadelphia Phillies' farm system. Rosenthal notes Philadelphia will not include top prospect Sixto Sanchez in a package, but their No. 2 overall prospect Adonis Medina is of interest to Baltimore.
Medina has been in the Philadelphia organization since 2014 and has slowly started to make his way up through the ranks. He is 8-3 with a 4.92 ERA in 15 starts at High-A this season, notching 75 strikeouts in 71.1 innings. And while his overall numbers may not jump off the page, he has improved with every passing month.
The 21-year-old was roughed up to the tune of a 7.98 ERA in four April starts, but he is undefeated since. He went 3-0 with a 3.33 ERA in five May starts and followed that up with a 2.57 ERA in four June starts.
Per MLB.com, Medina has a plus-fastball that consistently sits in the mid-90s and has life to it. He complements the heater with a sharp slider and a quality changeup. Not only that, but he has no problem throwing any of his pitches for strikes, as he has walked just 26 batters this season.
With Machado being a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glover, Baltimore is looking for a nice return that can set it up for future success. That means a package that includes multiple (at worst) quality prospects.
The problem is, though, teams may be hesitant to give up the farm for someone who may wind up being a rental player. Machado is in his walk year and could command one of the biggest contracts in MLB history in free agency this winter.
While the Orioles are scouting the Phillies' system, it's unclear just how realistic a trade between the two sides may be. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported last week that Philadelphia had moved on from Machado due to Baltimore's high asking price.