Manny Machado Trade Rumors: Phillies Front-Runners Ahead of Yankees, More

With the July 31 MLB trade deadline approaching, the Manny Machado sweepstakes are heating up.

And the good news for the Baltimore Orioles is the competition for his services is strong.

Jon Heyman of Fancred reported Saturday that the Philadelphia Phillies are "serious" in their pursuit of Machado and appear to be the front-runners for acquiring him.

Of course, things can change in a hurry. After all, just over a week ago, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported Philadelphia had moved on from Machado because of Baltimore's steep asking price.

Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Orioles were scouting the Phillies farm system, although blue-chip prospect Sixto Sanchez was deemed untouchable.

Philadelphia isn't the only team interested in the All-Star shortstop, though. Heyman reported earlier this week that the New York Yankees made a "strong offer," and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers are all viewed as suitors.

Machado is having yet another impressive season at the plate. He is hitting .313/.383/.568 with 23 home runs, 21 doubles and 64 RBI in 94 games. 

After winning two Gold Gloves at third base early in his career, he opted to move back to his original position of shortstop as he entered his contract year. When asked if he would return to the hot corner if traded to a contender, the 26-year-old made it clear, per The Athletic's Marc Carig, that he is a shortstop.

If Machado refuses to shift back to third, that could limit his trade market. Both Cleveland (Francisco Lindor) and New York (Didi Gregorius) are set at short.

Machado is earning $16 million in 2018 and will be a free agent at the end of the season.