Baltimore Orioles: Recapping the Manny Machado soft deadline

Today was the day that the Baltimore Orioles were supposedly going to make a decision on Manny Machado.

And, as the day comes to a close, the Baltimore Orioles still have Machado on the books. But, the decision to keep or trade Machado still doesn’t appear to be final.

The Thursday deadline wasn’t a hard and fast deadline. It was more of a soft deadline as teams could continue to talk to Dan Duquette about their desires for Machado. Most likely, this deadline was a ruse to give the team, the player, and the fans a small break for the approaching holidays.

A few more Tweets

According to a pair of Tweets from Roch Kubatko, Machado could still be moved from Baltimore.

In an earlier Tweet, Kubatko shares that the team is still considering a trade. Machado is a desirable commodity and there are still some teams that nosing around the idea of adding him to their squads. ButAnd

But, a few minutes later, Kubatko shared that the St. Louis Cardinals are not as interested as they were. Some teams are showing interest, but no one is interested enough to make a move that would get the attention of the front office.

Are the Cubs still interested?

Kubatko also shared information about a potential trade with the Chicago Cubs. Despite the soft deadline on Thursday, the Cubs did show interest and supposedly put together a package that included three young players.  In a post from NESN.com, Kubatko shared:

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"“I’ve heard that the Cubs’ discussions with the Orioles included shortstop Addison Russell, center fielder Albert Almora Jr. and left-hander Mike Montgomery."

It is easy to see why the Orioles would not accept this deal. Instead of two MLB-ready pitchers, Russell and Almora are position players. Montgomery would be a quality arm that would do well in Birdland, but the team needs more pitchers. It would also need a third baseman to fill in. With Almora plays the outfield and Russell is a shortstop.

We shared a post about a slightly different trade idea with the Cubs earlier in the week. Check it out here.

This would be a big giveaway for the Cubs, but the team seems to have players coming out of the woodwork and so many of them can play multiple positions. The Cubs seem like they would be an ideal trade partner for the Orioles, but it just may be too much for Peter Angelos to pull the trigger on one of his franchise players.

Next: Were the Diamondbacks interested in Machado?

Unfortunately, if Angelos cannot write the check to keep Machado an Orioles for life, then he will have to make the big decision. It would certainly be preferable for the O’s to keep Machado, but if it isn’t going to happen, then the team should be sure they are getting a fabulous deal for one of the best players in the game.