ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

MLB.com’s Morosi: D-backs among ‘most motivated’ for Manny Machado

Jul 4, 2018, 11:37 AM | Updated: 12:46 pm

Baltimore Orioles' Manny Machado celebrates his home run during the first inning of a baseball game...

Baltimore Orioles' Manny Machado celebrates his home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, June 1, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Trade talks for Baltimore Orioles infielder Manny Machado have started to heat up and the Arizona Diamondbacks seem to be right in the thick of the hunt.

Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweeted that the D-backs and Cleveland Indians are the “most motivated suitors” in the Machado talks.

Machado is one of the most attractive trade targets in baseball because not only is he top ten in all of baseball in hits, homers and RBI, but he is also on an expiring contract on a last place team in the Orioles.

The D-backs have the worst team batting average in the National League at .229 and Machado’s .311 batting average would certainly help boost that number.

Last season, the D-backs acquired J.D. Martinez at the trade deadline and it worked out well for the team. Martinez blasted 29 homers and 65 RBI in just 62 games with Arizona.

Acquiring Manny Machado would likely come at a hefty price for a D-backs team with a depleted farm system.

The D-backs only have one player in MLB Pipeline top-100 prospects list and in order to acquire Machado, they may need to part ways with one of their current young players already in the big leagues.

The D-backs traded three prospects to the Detroit Tigers in 2017 to acquire J.D. Martinez. All three of those prospects were playing at the Double-A level or lower at the time of the trade.

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MLB.com’s Morosi: D-backs among ‘most motivated’ for Manny Machado