Report: Red Sox among teams to contact Orioles about Machado
Like Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton, the Manny Machado sweepstakes appear to have opened.
Less than a week after both Ohtani and Stanton were acquired by the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees, respectively, the Baltimore Orioles have reportedly been shopping Machado, and the Boston Red Sox are in the mix.
The Red Sox were one of the teams who called the Orioles about Machado, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Machado spent all of last season at third base, but he apparently would like to shift to shortstop before he hits free agency.
Related: Orioles reportedly shopping Machado, who wants to play SS
21-year-old Rafael Devers is projected to start at third - with Xander Bogaerts slated for short - for the Red Sox next season, but acquiring a high-caliber player like Machado could potentially be a franchise-altering acquisition by Boston's front office. It would also be an outstanding answer to the acquisition of Stanton by the Yankees, as the Red Sox continue to try and compete with their rival atop the American League East.
Machado, a three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, is only under contract for one more season before joining an impressive free-agent class in 2019.
The 25-year-old owns a .279/.329/.476 slash line with 138 home runs, 176 doubles, and 406 RBIs over six seasons.