Source: Manny Machado to the Yankees Reported As “Close”

Despite the countless rumblings over the past month regarding the Yankees and the trade market for a starting pitcher, this most recent rumor is one that has certainly appeared out of nowhere.

First reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Yankees have apparently been “showing increased interest” in Manny Machado of the Orioles.

Although he stated that no deal appears to be close, Eric Hubbs of Barstool Sports tweeted out Wednesday afternoon that a trusted source of his, who happened to land the Stanton news as well, told him a deal was “more likely than not’ and that a possible trade “is close”Machado, 26, is currently in the midst of his best season to date, slashing .314/.385/.574 with 23 home runs while posting a 3.6 fWAR in 91 games.

If this in-division deal was to go through, then in all likelihood the free-agent-to-be would slide back to 3rd base with current shortstop Didi Gregorius staying put. It’s tough to guess what the return package could be for Baltimore as, for now, Machado would only be a two and a half month rental for New York, unless they were to sign him this coming offseason.

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Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports reported early Wednesday that the Orioles are seeking highly touted pitching prospect Justus Sheffield as a starting point to the deal, although it’s unknown if Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner would part ways with the lefty.

Source: #Orioles willing to trade Manny Machado to #Yankees if LHP prospect Justus Sheffield is in the deal, but there is skepticism #Yankees would move Sheffield for a rental. @MLB @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 11, 2018

It’s unclear if a deal will definitely get done at this point, but with the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Machado rumors will only grow larger until a deal is done. And for now, the favorite most certainly seems to be the New York Yankees.