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Report: Indians contacted Orioles regarding Machado

Brian Blanco / Getty Images Sport / Getty

An opportunity to acquire Manny Machado seemed to present itself during the winter meetings, when the Baltimore Orioles were reportedly listening to offers about their star infielder. One suitor during that time frame was the Cleveland Indians, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

While talks reportedly took place last month between the two clubs, Morosi's sources say those discussions are no longer active.

The 25-year-old Machado is set to become a free agent following the 2018 season, and the belief is that the Orioles would be unable to re-sign the rising star, who could lure a record deal on the open market.

Earlier in the offseason, the Orioles were looking for two young, controllable starting pitchers as part of the deal for Machado.

The Indians arguably boast the best pitching depth in baseball, with the starting rotation ranking first last year by FanGraphs' WAR. According to Morosi, the belief is that the Indians are willing to part with Danny Salazar. The 28-year-old Salazar posted a 4.28 ERA and 3.48 FIP over 103 innings last year while making 19 starts over 23 appearances.

Earlier in January, Jason Kipnis was re-appointed to his old role of second base while Jose Ramirez was set to take third-base duties on Opening Day. With Francisco Lindor as the club's starting shortstop, it's unclear where Machado would fit into the Indians' plans.

However, the Indians are reportedly leaving the door open on what to do with the 30-year-old Kipnis if any further trades or signings happen, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Kipnis briefly filled in for the injured Bradley Zimmer in center field at the end of last season and during the playoffs and also factored into trade rumors earlier this offseason.

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