Boston Red Sox Rumors: Manny Machado is there for the taking

The Baltimore Orioles appear to be shopping young power hitter Manny Machado and the Boston Red Sox should have high interest.

If Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wants to atone for not aggressively pursuing Giancarlo Stanton, he needs to find a way to convince the Baltimore Orioles to trade Manny Machado to Boston.

It is no secret that the Red Sox need a power bat and the 25-year-old star could be the player they are seeking. He is young, has a high ceiling and is apparently available.

According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, the Orioles have reportedly put the third baseman on the trade block and are hoping to acquire “two young, controllable starting pitches.” With Machado entering the last year of his contract, such a deal would be risky for any team pursuing him and also a high price.

That’s where a team like the Red Sox come in. They have some assets to offer the Orioles and also have the money to give Machado long term. The risk for the Red Sox would be whether the young star would be willing to play in Boston given his tension with the team over the past season.

After sliding into Dustin Pedroia at second base injuring the second baseman, the Red Sox retaliated by plunking Machado. The back and forth retaliation between the two teams led to a very colorful tirade by Machado aimed towards the Red Sox organization.

In that respect alone, a possible deal would be quite interesting. Also, playing half his games in Fenway Park and the amount of money the Red Sox could offer has a way of changing a player’s emotion.

What can the Red Sox offer?

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Dombrowski could play the waiting game with Manny Machado. But, it would seem harder to convince the slugger to sign in Boston as a free agent than it would via a trade that would allow him to play a season in a Red Sox uniform and the atmosphere of Fenway Park.

In that scenario, the Sox would have an entire season to convince Machado to sign a long-term deal.

So what could they give up?

With rumors that Machado wants to switch to shortstop, the Boston Red Sox could offer Xander Bogaerts in return and a top pitching prospect like Jason Groome. They could also throw back Eduardo Rodriguez in a possible deal.

With the Orioles looking to rebuild and out to get something in return for their young star, Groome could be enticing enough for Baltimore to accept one controllable young pitcher and a position player. The Red Sox could also offer Jackie Bradley Jr. in a deal.

Next: Boston Red Sox Rumors: Team reportedly interested in Kyle Schwarber

Whether the Orioles are willing to deal with their AL East rivals is another story. But, while speculation is flying around, Manny Machado could be a very nice answer for the Boston Red Sox.

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