Red Sox should not trade for Manny Machado
By Sean Penney
The Boston Red Sox are rumored to be interested in a trade for Baltimore Orioles star Manny Machado but would this be a smart decision?
It wouldn’t be Hot Stove season without the Boston Red Sox being tied to trade rumors. The latest is a report that the team has shown continued interested in acquiring Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles.
This comes as no surprise given that every team in baseball should be interested in Machado. He’s a three-time All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove winner who has finished within the top-five in MVP voting twice. His owns an .805 OPS for his career, which is higher than any Red Sox hitter with 250+ plate appearances produced this season. He’s one of only two third baseman in history with three 30+ home run seasons on his resume through their age 24 season.
So, yes, Machado is a phenomenal player. That doesn’t mean it would be wise for the Red Sox to trade for him.
The concerns have nothing to do with the incident last season stemming from Machado’s questionable slide into second base or the bean-ball war it ignited. Players are capable of putting grudges aside to welcome a new teammate in the interest of winning so any hard feelings would quickly be swept under the rug.
I’m also not going to assume that Baltimore would refuse to trade their star to a division rival. While they may not find it ideal, Dave Dombrowski has a relationship with Orioles GM Dan Duquette dating back to their days together in the Montreal Expose front office.
The reason to be skeptical of a potential deal comes down to cost. What would it take to pry Machado out of Baltimore? The answer is “too much.”