Report: Orioles to move Manny Machado ‘sooner than later’

It appears highly unlikely that the Orioles won’t move third baseman Manny Machado by the trade deadline.

The team is rebuilding, and they appear headed for a number of down years, with a potential fire sale going on in the future.

With that said, that makes the possibility of re-signing Machado highly unlikely, so with him set to become a free agent, the team might as well get something in return for him, rather than nothing.

As such, it makes perfect sense that Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Orioles “want to act sooner than later” as it relates to moving Machado. Here’s why:

[The team knows] they almost certainly will receive a greater return if they trade Machado with approximately three months of control remaining instead of two, major league sources say.

Machado could be the first of a few players that the Orioles attempt to trade. Zach Britton, among others, could be moved by the deadline as well.