Manny Machado trade watch: Machado is going to the Dodgers

With the All-Star break in full swing and no meaningful baseball on the horizon for days, everyone’s attention has turned to one thing. No, it’s not the All-Star Game. It’s the future of Manny Machado. After a few excruciating hours, the Baltimore Orioles made their decision Wednesday. Machado was finally shipped off to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Until the deal happened, there was a bevy of Machado trade rumors flying around. Three teams were considered major players for Machado, but the Dodgers got it done in the end.

Dodgers acquire Manny Machado in 5-for-1 trade

After some concern regarding medical reports, the Orioles decided to accept the Dodgers’ deal. Baltimore will acquire five players in exchange for Machado, who is heading to Los Angeles to fill the team’s need at short.

Dodgers deal may have hit a snag over medical records

It wouldn’t be an Orioles trade without some drama. Reports suggested Machado to the Dodgers could be made official as early as Wednesday morning. Now new reports have surfaced suggesting that trade talks hit a possible sang over medical concerns regarding at least one Dodgers prospect heading back to Baltimore.

Fancred’s Jon Heyman says the medical holdup does not center around outfield prospect Yusniel Diaz, who is believed to be the center piece in Baltimore’s return. That could lead to an easier resolution if a complementary piece has to be renegotiated.

This is far from the first time a possible medical issue has impacted Orioles transactions. In recent years the team has backed out of contract agreements with free agents Angel Pagan, Grant Balfour, Tyler Colvin and Jair Jurrjens. In 2016, they pulled back a three-year offer from free agent Yovani Gallardo, before agreeing to a two-year deal.

The Dodgers are closing in on a deal

While many teams have contacted the Orioles about Machado, one team has emerged the as clear frontrunner: the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In fact, Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal says with certainty that Machado to Los Angeles is happening. All that remains up to the air, according to his report, is which prospects will be included and how much money the Orioles will include to help cover Machado’s contract.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported early Wednesday that the Orioles had the structure of a deal in place, and were looking over medicals.

It appears that Machado to the Dodgers will be announced very soon. Perhaps as early as the conclusion of the All-Star game.

The Phillies and Brewers are also finalists

While the tide seems to be shifting in the Dodgers direction, any potential could work to the benefits of the Philadelphia Phillies or the Milwaukee Brewers.

Both teams are locked in tight division races, and acquiring Machado could make the difference between first place and the wild-card (or even not making the playoffs at all). In the Dodgers and Brewers case, they’re definitely looking at renting Machado for the next 2-3 months and probably not signing him long-term. The Brewers won’t be able to match the offers of other teams once Machado hits free agency. The Dodgers are so close to the luxury tax threshold already and won’t be able to afford the contract that Machado will command — at least without some serious contract juggling.

But the Phillies are a different story. The team has just emerged from five-to-six-year rebuild, so they have both the prospects for a serious trade and the money for a serious contract. Plus, at least three members of the Phillies’ front office used to work for the Orioles: president Andy MacPhail, general manager Matt Klentak, and director of player development Joe Jordan. Which is why it made sense on Monday when rumors began to swirl around the Phillies. Jayson Stark of The Athletic went on a local Philadelphia sports talk station and said some intriguing things about a potential Machado deal.

He said three separate things in those two tweets: 1) a source told him that a handshake deal is done on a Machado deal; 2) he doesn’t know the identity of the team that made the deal; and 3) Phillies beat writers probably won’t spend the last few days of the All-Star break relaxing in any way. While he implied that the Phillies were the team, he also said up front that he didn’t know which team. But it was enough to make Orioles beat writers tweet that despite rumors to the contrary, there was no deal in place.

The Dodgers may be in the lead

On Tuesday morning, the rumors started to focus on one team: the Dodgers.

And there’s a reason why the Dodgers have appeared to take the lead in the Manny sweepstakes: they’ve put one of their best prospects in the deal.

Yusniel Diaz homered twice at the MLB Futures Game on Sunday, so his name is certainly hot right now. The Phillies have reportedly made a number of their high-level prospects available, but are keeping Sixto Sanchez, their highly coveted top pitching prospect, out of any talks. The Dodgers making Diaz available might put them over the top. And a source told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the Dodgers are almost certainly the team that will land Manny.

When will it happen?

Though the “where” part of the rumors has continued to evolve, one thing has stayed consistent: everyone expects the deal to be announced on Wednesday. That’s after Machado has represented the Orioles at the All-Star Game, but before the break is over and play resumes.

Even though a lot of writers are saying it, it’s still an unconfirmed rumor. But it sure seems like Machado thinks he’s played his last game as an Oriole.

That doesn’t mean he’s definitely being traded during the All-Star break, but if it happens, Manny seems ready.

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Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter at @lizroscher.

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