With the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Los Angeles Dodgers are among the teams that have been linked to Baltimore Orioles star shortstop Manny Machado.
Along with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers are considered to be the team that is pursuing Machado the most, and their pursuit could be even more aggressive now that Yasiel Puig is likely headed for the disabled list.
The Dodgers offer to the Orioles so far is reportedly the most intriguing to the Orioles, although it did not include the likes of Alex Verdugo or Yadier Alvarez, two of the organization’s top prospects.
Other potential prospects that the Orioles are reportedly interested in are pitcher Dustin May and catcher Keibert Ruiz, although according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the Dodgers are hesitant to trade Ruiz for a potential rental in Machado:
Source: #Orioles have mentioned Keibert Ruiz and Dustin May in talks with #Dodgers on a Manny Machado trade. (@BNightengale was first to link May and Baltimore.) L.A. is not likely to trade Ruiz for a rental. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 9, 2018
Ruiz is the second-best prospect in the Dodgers organization behind only Verdugo, according to MLB.com. The Venezuela product is only 19 years old and is flying through the Minor Leagues, already making it to Double-A.
It 63 games this season with Double-A Tulsa, Ruiz is hitting .243/.307/.364 with seven home runs and 23 RBI, so he has struggled a bit this season.
The Dodgers still view him as the catcher of the future though, which explains why they do not want to include him in any trades.
The longer the Orioles wait to trade Machado, the price could come down a bit. The Dodgers have plenty of competition though so it may be in their best interest to make a deal for the now four-time All-Star sooner than later.
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