Milwaukee Brewers Rumors: Crew Fading in Manny Machado Sweepstakes

The Milwaukee Brewers were thought to be among the favorites to land Manny Machado. That appears to have changed.

There are still plenty of teams in the hunt for star infielder Manny Machado. The Brewers are one of them, but teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Phillies are also making strong offers to the Orioles.

According to the latest report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Milwaukee Brewers have fallen behind in the Machado sweepstakes.

The Brewers were once considered in the top three for suitors for Machado. Now they have faded out of the top three, behind the Phillies, Dodgers, and Yankees. But, as Rosenthal mentions, everything can change with one phone call.

Why Have The Brewers Fallen Behind?

Well, we know that the Orioles were insistent upon Corbin Burnes being included in the deal. Brewers GM David Stearns has been unwilling to include Burnes and has tried to focus the package around Luis Ortiz instead.

From this report, it appears safe to assume the Orioles are still set on Burnes and aren’t buying an Ortiz. As long as Burnes is still the demand, Stearns won’t be able to get a deal done for Machado. Burnes should be seen as untouchable in these negotiations.

What happens now?

Either the Orioles lower their demands enough that Stearns can get Machado without giving up Burnes, or they’ll take one of the offers from New York, Los Angeles, or Philadelphia.

David Stearns has been looking elsewhere for middle infield upgrades. He’s known to have interest in a couple of the Minnesota Twins infielders, as well as Derek Dietrich of the Marlins.

Stearns is a smart guy, and he won’t overpay for a rental like Machado. If other teams are willing to overpay for him, that’s their problem. Stearns will continue to look for the right deal for both the short term and the long term future of the Brewers. Whether the Milwaukee Brewers land Machado or not, we should all trust that David Stearns has made the right decision for the club. He’s earned that trust.

Next: Could David Stearns leave for the Mets?

The Machado sweepstakes could come to an end shortly after the All Star Break. That still gives the Brewers plenty of time to find another deal should they miss out on him.