Machado Has Been Traded: Everything You Need to Know About the Trade
The Baltinore Orioles have traded Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The All-Star shortstop has been traded for five prospects and is going to leave behind an Orioles club that is showing the rebuild is now fully in effect.
Before the end of the first half, Machado had a .315 batting average, 24 home runs, and 65 RBI. In his career with the Orioles, he had a .283 batting average, 162 home runs, and 471 RBI.
The Dodgers, however, had to give up 5 prospects, 3 of them are top 30 in the Dodgers organization. The O’s biggest acquisition is the Dodgers’ 4th ranked prospect, and ranked 84th overall, OF Yusniel Diaz. The next prospect was the Dodgers’ 28th ranked prospect, RHP Dean Kremer. The other one of the Dodgers’ top 30 was 3B Rylan Bannon. The Orioles also get RHP Zach Pop and INF Breyvic Valera.
Diaz is known to be a contact hitter, and he was the Rookie of the Year in the top league in Cuba. Diaz’s current average with the Tulsa Drillers (the Dodgers AA affiliate) is .314. He is an all-around player, except for power. He is not going to be someone who hits home runs, but will be someone who can get on base consistently.
Rylan Bannon, the Dodgers’ 8th round draft pick in 2015, is also a contact hitter, but is more known for his fielding. The Orioles are really going to benefit with him in the infield, and hopefully he will make sure no balls get past the infield on the left side. The 22 year old is currently batting .296 with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Dodgers’ A-Advanced affiliate.
Dean Kremer is a RHP who was drafted by the Dodgers in the 14th round of 2016. He is the first ever player to be drafted that has Israeli citizenship. Kremer will be known for his fastball, which can go on average 91-94 MPH. His pitch arsenal also includes a curveball, a slider, and a changeup. This season, he has a 3.03 ERA and has struck out 125.
Zach Pop is also a RHP who was drafted last season in the 7th round by the Dodgers. In 30 appearances this season with the Quakes and the Great Lakes Loons (LA’s A affiliate), he has a 1.04 ERA in 43 1/3 innings.
Breyvic Valera, a second baseman who has already played 20 games with the Dodgers this season, is the oldest of these prospects. He was originally signed as an IFA in 2010 by the Cardinals. He is a contact hitter that is also able to steal base, and is known as a speedster.
With this addition, the Dodgers have become unstoppable, and are now on poise to win their first World Series since 1988, while the Orioles are gonna use these prospects to hopefully start something big.
