The Boston Red Sox are looking to improve their offensive line-up after a dismal 2017 season, and Baltimore Orioles' Manny Machado seems to fit the bill.
The Red Sox finished the previous season 27<sup>th in home runs and 26<sup>th in batting percentage, which prompted the club to look for high percentage sluggers to increase their offensive power and improve their chances of winning the World Series.
The news of the Orioles shopping Machado could not have come at a better time.
Sports website Bleacher Report revealed that the Baltimore team is looking to trade the third baseman for two younger pitchers. Machado's contract with the team will also expire in 2018, making him a free agent.
Despite rumors going around that the American League (AL) east team is not going to hand Machado over to the Red Sox because of the two teams being division rivals, it has not stopped them from negotiations as any team would benefit from the 25-year-old Machado, who will the hottest acquisition in 2018.
Jon Morosi from the Major League Baseball (MLBA) network tweeted that the Red Sox are still showing continued interest in acquiring Machado in the offseason.
While there’s skepticism #Orioles would trade Manny Machado to a division rival, remember this: Dave Dombrowski and Dan Duquette worked together in @Montreal_Expos front office 30 years ago. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 29, 2017 " data-caption="null" data-credit="Twitter/Jon Morosi">However, would the slugger be interested in signing with the Red Sox? It can be noted that back in May 2017 Machado went on a tirade, saying that he has lost respect for the team. Furthermore, as reported by Bleacher Report, the Orioles are considering removing him from the trading block if incoming offers do not get better.
Given Machado's immense talent and popularity, expect the Red Sox to do everything in their power to get the star player, and they better do it soon because the Chicago White Sox has also expressed interest in obtaining the player, along with Miami Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich.
Machado, despite having a bad start in the 2017 season, hit .259/.310/.471 with 33 home runs.
