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A few weeks ago there were some rumors surfacing about the Red Sox potentially getting in on the Manny Machado sweepstakes and dangling Rafael Devers as a trade chip. This was always extremely unlikely, of course, and really seemed more like a thought experiment than an actual rumor. Well, Devers is not longer being mentioned but the Red Sox/Machado rumors won’t die. On Tuesday reports re-surfaced that Boston is still showing interest in Machado.
If you were waiting for the other shoe to drop, it apparently has. Sources say Red Sox have responded to reports of renewed Yankee interest in Manny Machado with renewed interest of their own. #orioles #MannyMania
— Peter Schmuck (@SchmuckStop) July 11, 2018
Look, Machado is a great player and if the Red Sox were to trade for him they would instantly improve their chances for the second half. That being said, these rumors make no sense and it is not worth getting your hopes up. The only way Devers is going to Baltimore for Machado is if the latter agrees to an extension before the deal is completed, and that’s not going to happen. Machado has shown too much interest in hitting the open market for believe that’s realistic. And if Devers isn’t part of the package, the Red Sox simply do not have the pieces to make this kind of trade work.
Beyond the initial excitement of seeing the Red Sox connected to a star like Machado, I think most people acknowledge that all of this is true. The common response is that this is just Boston trying to drive the price up for the Yankees, who are more realistically interested in the infielder. I think that is partially true, though I think it’s coming from Baltimore’s side. Everyone knows that Boston has a bad farm system — it’s not exactly a secret — so their involvement wouldn’t really scare the Yankees or anyone else into overpaying for a player. My guess is that Baltimore hopes New York sees the Red Sox in rumors and panics, which does not really sound like Brian Cashman. Really, this rumors make very little sense to me.
Now, the Red Sox and Orioles are almost certainly talking trade, it’s just not about Machado. Boston has reportedly been interested in Zach Britton since he returned from the disabled list, and both he and Brad Brach would make sense as trade targets. Machado to the Red Sox ain’t happening, but don’t be surprised if rumors head up between Baltimore and Boston.