The Los Angeles Dodgers formally announced their trade with the Baltimore Orioles to acquire All-Star shortstop Manny Machado. They parted with prospects Yusniel Diaz, Rylan Bannon, Dean Kremer, Zach Pop and Breyvic Valera in the trade.
The deal wasn’t without some drama, as the Orioles reportedly grew concerned over the medicals of at least one player they were receiving. It wasn’t believed to be Diaz, but it otherwise remains unclear who might have been in question, and if said player(s) remained part of the trade.
Of note, the Dodgers did not need to include noted prospects such as Yadier Alvarez, Dustin May, Gavin Lux and Alex Verdugo. Instead, Diaz served as the centerpiece of the Orioles’ return.
The 21-year-old Cuban outfielder enjoyed a strong season for Double-A Tulsa, where he hit .314/.428/.477 with 10 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 30 RBI through 59 games. Diaz represented the Dodgers at the Futures Game, and hit a pair of homers.
Bannon was in his second season with the Dodgers organization after being taken in the eighth round of the 2017 Draft. He debuted with Rookie-level Ogden and to this point had spent all of 2018 with High-A Rancho Cucamonga.
While demonstrating a steady glove at third base, Bannon hit .296/.402/.559 with 17 doubles, six triples, 20 home runs and 61 RBI. He led the Quakes in home runs.
Kremer went 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 114 strikeouts against 26 walks over 16 starts (79 innings pitched) for Quakes. The performance earned him a promotion to Tulsa, where Kremer fired seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts in his Double-A debut.
Pop had a rough start to the 2018 season with Low-A Great Lakes but then dominated for the Quakes. The right-hander went 1-0 with a 0.33 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 23 strikeouts and six walks across 13 relief appearances.
The Dodgers acquired Valera in an April trade that sent Johan Mieses to the St. Louis Cardinals. Valera was just 5-for-29 but with four RBI, four walks and four strikeouts in limited time with the Dodgers. With Triple-A Oklahoma City, Valera hit .284/.350/.433 with eight doubles, six home runs and 25 RBI.
In addition to filling a void created at shortstop when Corey Seager underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery, Machado brings with him a power bat that further deepens the Dodgers lineup. His 24 home runs overtake Max Muncy (22) for the team lead.
While Chris Taylor was a steady presence at shortstop, the trade allows for him to either shift back to the outfield and/or potentially see time at second base.
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