Cubs one of the favorites to land All-Star SS |
The Chicago Cubs and several other teams were reportedly in discussions this past offseason about inquiring superstar shortstop Manny Machado.
However, nothing happened on the trade front with the Orioles as Machado is still with his same team. For now. Machado will hit free agency next winter alongside top players like future Hall-of-Famers Bryce Harper and Clayton Kershaw. With the Cubs currently strategically under the luxury tax, they will more than likely make a play for either Harper or Machado. MLB insider Jon Heyman thinks that the Cubs have an excellent shot at acquiring Machado and ranked them No. 3 overall with chances to land the three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner behind only the Phillies and Yankees. "The Cubs were cognizant about getting under the (tax) threshold this year, too, and that could set themselves up for one of the big free agents," Heyman said. "The assumption has been that Harper might make sense since Kris Bryant is seen as his best hometown buddy (both are from Las Vegas). But Machado might actually be a better fit. While Addison Russell is terrific defensively at shortstop, and he’s a better hitter than he showed in 2017, his slippage seems to open a door. Like the two teams above them, the Cubs did also try for him in trade in the winter." Heyman projects the Cubs' chances with Machado at 8/1 odds. A talented infield with Kris Bryant, Machado, Javy Baez and Anthony Rizzo would be something extraordinary in Chicago. For the season, the 25-year old slugger is batting .316 with 3 homers and 8 RBIs. In his MLB career, he is hitting .280 with 141 home runs and 414 RBIs. He was the first Oriole in franchise history to get 270 extra-base hits before turning 25 last season.
