Report: Orioles expected to trade Manny Machado to Dodgers

The Manny Machado sweepstakes are seemingly about to come to an end, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to come out on top.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Orioles will trade Machado to the Dodgers on Wednesday “barring a last minute snag.” However, it should be noted that the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers are said to still be in contact with the Orioles, so it sounds as if Baltimore is leaving open the possibility that one of those teams ups its offer at the last second.

There has seemingly been a ton of information leaked from the Orioles in an attempt to create a bidding war, but multiple reports have indicated the Dodgers are the frontrunners. Nightengale’s sources seem the most confident that the deal is on the verge of being finalized.

The Dodgers currently have their shortstop of the future in place in 24-year-old Corey Seager, but he is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. If L.A. wants to sign Machado to an extension, they’ll need to either convince him to move back to third or move Seager. While there have been indications that Machado wants to remain at shortstop, the Dodgers are apparently willing to take the risk of him only being a rental player.