Baltimore Orioles Rumors: Ownership needs to approve Machado trade

As the Hot Stove season continues to move along, the Baltimore Orioles front office still hasn’t made a decision about Manny Machado.

While rumors about Machado continue to spread, the latest rumor is that the Baltimore Orioles should make a decision soon.

But, if Jim Bowden from MLB Network is right, Machado will not be moved by the Orioles in the near future.

The Tweet from Bowden

In a Tweet, the former GM makes a claim about “sources” doubting that Dan Duquette will be able to convince Peter Angelos that Machado should be traded. At this point, after Angelos has owned the team for more than two decades, it should come as no surprise that he would want to hang on to Machado.

8 teams have made trade offers to the Orioles for Manny Machado but sources doubt that ownership will approve a trade even if recommended by GM Dan Duquette
— Jim Bowden⚾️🏈 (@JimBowdenGM) December 19, 2017

The dollars involved

Consider this: in 1993, Angelos and his group bought the Orioles for $173 million. The problem with Machado is that he will most likely demand a contract close to $300 million when he reaches free agency at the end of the 2018 season. Angelos is not the sole owner of the team, but he has the largest stake. According to the latest Forbes valuation, Angelos has done well with his investment, and the team is worth over $1 billion.

Unfortunately, the money that Machado should be paid to stay in Baltimore went to two players who are not as valuable as he is. Instead of paying nearly $22 million annually to Chris Davis until 2022, the Orioles should have considered Machado’s future. The large payment to Mark Trumbo also sadly ties up $26 million for the next two seasons. However, the Orioles don’t have many other large contracts in the near future.

A foreboding comment from Duquette

The “sources” that Bowden mentions are nowhere to be found, but there is one small clue that Duquette has shared with MLB writers. The Orioles signed three pitchers in the Rule 5 draft. When asked about those pitchers, Duquette said:

"“We like all three,” Duquette said, “and we feel like they have a legitimate shot to compete in the spring.”"

Could Duquette’s comment about the Rule 5 pitchers be a sign that the Orioles are not going to trade Machado? Are Duquette and Angelos putting their hopes in Rule 5 pitchers who were not good enough for other teams to keep?

The Orioles do not seem to like to spend big bucks on good pitching. But, would it be worth it to the fans to keep Machado, but have cheap pitching?

Wouldn’t it be something if the constant chatter about Machado turned out to be completely bogus? Maybe the O’s will end up signing him and making it all work. It’s highly doubtful, but if Angelos wants to keep fans in the seats, he should consider who is playing on the diamond. Machado sells tickets.

Next: Jim Palmer's plan for Manny Machado and the O's

If Duquette’s comment is a sign of what the team will have in the starting rotation, it could be another tough year.

As the Hot Stove season continues to move along, the Baltimore Orioles front office still hasn’t made a decision about Manny Machado.

The Tweet from Bowden

The dollars involved

A foreboding comment from Duquette

Schedule