Dodgers acquire Machado; Indians bolster bullpen
Manny Machado will be wearing a new uniform when he plays his next game, and other hitters will be on the move in the next couple weeks.
The Dodgers won the Machado sweepstakes, getting the prized All-Star shortstop from the Orioles in a trade Wednesday night.
The Orioles received five prospects: outfielder Yusniel Diaz, right-handers Dean Kremer and Zach Pop, and third basemen Rylan Bannon and Breyvic Valera.
Machado, a 26-year-old power hitter with extraordinary fielding skills, greatly improves the Dodgers’ chances of reaching the World Series for a second consecutive year. He led Baltimore in batting average (.315), home runs (24) and RBIs (65).
“We viewed Manny Machado as a big difference maker,” Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said.
Even after the Machado trade, teams seeking to boost their offense will have several options to land a big bat.
Here are some hitters who may have new teams before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline:
■ Mike Moustakas, Royals: After hitting a career-best 38 homers last year, the twotime All-Star third baseman didn’t get a lucrative deal in free agency and returned on a one-year deal for $6.5 million plus a mutual option for 2019. He has 19 homers and 58 RBIs but is only batting .249 for the worst team in the majors.
■ Scooter Gennett, Reds: Cincinnati isn’t going anywhere and they’d be selling high on their All-Star second baseman. Gennett, a waiver claim last year, is batting .326 with 16 homers and 63 RBIs this season.
■ Asdrubal Cabrera, Mets: The 32-year-old infielder is batting .281 with 17 homers and 52 RBIs for hapless New York. Cabrera is a switch hitter who would give a team versatility and pop. He’s also slated to become a free agent after the season.
■ Eduardo Escobar, Twins: The versatile infielder has a .271 average, 14 homers and 57 RBIs with 35 doubles for Minnesota. He’s making $4.85 million this season and will be a free agent in the fall.
■ Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays: The 2015 AL MVP is struggling through an injury-riddled season and has only played 36 games, but he averaged 35 homers and 100 RBIs between 2014-17 and is entering free agency after the season.
Indians-Padres: With an eye on October and beyond, AL Central-leading Indians scooped up All-Star closer Brad Hand and fellow reliever Adam Cimber from rebuilding San Diego in exchange for switch-hitting catching prospect Francisco Mejia on Thursday.
The Indians need Hand, a lefty, and Cimber, a rookie right-handed sidearmer, to shore up a bullpen that has been without left-hander Andrew Miller since late May and has a 5.28 ERA, second-worst in the majors.
“We tried to have a really honest assessment, what are our strengths and what are the areas we can improve to help better position us to secure a postseason berth and advance once we get there,” Indians President Chris Antonetti said in a conference call.