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Philadelphia Phillies could be back in Manny Machado race after all

By Dan Parzych

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 17: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles and the American League and Matt Kemp #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the National League pose for a selfie in the second inning during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 17: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles and the American League and Matt Kemp #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the National League pose for a selfie in the second inning during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Despite the Los Angeles Dodgers appearing to be the favorites to land Manny Machado, it looks like the Philadelphia Phillies may be able to get back into the conversation.

Over the last week or so, potential trade talks surrounding Manny Machado have been hotter than ever, and even though the Philadelphia Phillies appeared to be out of the running, it looks like they may have a slight chance after all.

Earlier in the week, there were numerous reports that seemed to indicate that a trade involving Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers would be completed on Wednesday, sending a little bit of surprise throughout the rest of the league.

A few days ago, the Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers were considered the two favorites to land Machado in a trade from the Baltimore Orioles, with the Dodgers listed as a long shot.

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Obviously, that long shot scenario for Los Angeles became more of a reality when they emerged as the favorites to acquire Machado before Tuesday’s All-Star game. And even though it seemed like only a matter of time on Wednesday before a trade became official, it looks like the Orioles and Dodgers may have come across a minor bump in the road.

For the record, this doesn’t necessarily mean a deal between Baltimore and Los Angeles involving Machado still won’t go through, but it certainly makes this whole situation a lot more interesting. All of a sudden, the Dodgers may have to worry about other teams, including the Phillies, getting back into the trade mix if the Orioles decide to explore safer offers.

At the moment, Philadelphia has been one of the best surprises from the first half of the 2018 season when considering nobody expected them to be sitting on top of the NL East with a slight lead over the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals. But as great as the Phillies have looked at times, there’s no question this team could use a power hitter like Machado.

Plus, when looking at all of the money Philadelphia is expected to spend in 2019 when free agency gets underway, the City of Brotherly Love may end up being a more attractive scenario for a player looking to get paid like Machado.

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Only time will tell when it comes to seeing where Machado ends up, but at least the Phillies may be able to work their way back into trade talks if these physical issues with prospects from the Dodgers are a legitimate concern.

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