Yankees trade rumors: New York makes offer on Manny Machado

You didn’t think the Winter Meetings would end without one more blockbuster, did you? According to multiple reports, the Orioles are entertaining trade proposals for star third baseman Manny Machado. Reports surfaced earlier on Wednesday connecting the Yankees to the slugger.

Now it appears that the Machado sweepstakes are heating up. According to Dan Clark, the Yankees have made a formal offer. They’re joined by the Cardinals, the White Sox, the Phillies, and Giants.

In terms of prospects, the Bombers could very well match or best any offer. One would have to assume a Yankees tax would be in place, though. It’s difficult to envision a scenario where Orioles owner Peter Angelos approves a deal shipping their star to a division rival. For what it’s worth, Clark suspects the Phillies to be the favorite.

Joel Sherman reiterated this idea, describing a scenario where the Yankees land Machado as unlikely:

That said, stranger things have happened. Nobody imagined that Brian Cashman would actually acquire Giancarlo Stanton. That deal shows how unwise it is to rule the Yankees out completely.

Unlike the Stanton trade, however, don’t expect Machado to come at a discount price. One would have to imagine that Gleyber Torres tops the Orioles’ wishlist. This one would hurt, but the talent coming back in exchange would send the Yankees into the upper echelons of all-time offenses. Some joked that Cashman tried to recreate Murderers’ Row after acquiring Stanton. Landing Machado would make that a reality.

This one is a complete long shot, but the fact that the Yankees made an offer is exciting. If they pick up the slugger, they have a video game lineup. If Machado goes elsewhere, Cashman can focus his efforts on pitching. Either way, the next day or two should be very interesting.