Phillies reportedly ramping up effort to acquire Manny Machado
The Philadelphia Phillies are one of a handful of teams that have been linked to Manny Machado over the past several weeks, and it sounds like their interest in acquiring the star shortstop has not waned.
With several teams keeping in contact with the Baltimore Orioles about Machado, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Phillies have upped their offer.
#Phillies have increased their offer for #Orioles’ Machado, sources tell The Athletic. #Dodgers and #Yankees remain strongest. #Brewers fading, #DBacks on periphery.
Standard caveat applies: Trade talks are fluid, and one text or call can change dynamic of discussions.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 13, 2018
Also of note is that Rosenthal says the Milwaukee Brewers, who were at one point considered the favorite to land Machado, are losing momentum. The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are said to have the best offers on the table.
A report from last week indicated the Phillies had dropped out of the Machado sweepstakes, but that may have just been a leverage play. They can offer the 26-year-old an opportunity to play shortstop and have the money to sign him long-term. The Yankees have been hesitant to include one player that Baltimore wants and would be asking Machado to go back to playing third base, so those factors could stand in the way of the Orioles trading Machado within the division.
