MLB Roundup - Machado Moves to Shortstop

steemsports (80)in #steemsports • 8 years ago (edited)

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Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter announced at the club’s FanFest on Saturday that superstar Manny Machado will move to shortstop for the 2018 season.

The 25-year-old is entering the final season of his rookie contract with the Orioles and is primed to cash on in the free agent market after the 2018 season. This has led to rampant rumor and speculation that the O’s will deal him for the best return they can get, rather than letting him walk after the season and recuperating a mere compensation pick in return.

Machado has made it clear this winter that his desire is to play shortstop, his natural position. He has spent the majority of his first six seasons in the big leagues playing third base instead, and doing so as one of the best defenders in all of baseball. He has taken home the American League Gold Glove at the position twice already, once in 2013 and again in 2015.

By granting his wish and allowing him to play his desired position, perhaps it gives the Orioles’ front office a little more leverage when attempting to negotiate a long-term contract extension to keep Machado in Baltimore. It certainly can’t hurt their chances.

What the move will do for certain, is give a boost to Machado’s already sky-high fantasy value. On average, Machado has been the 19th player off the board in early NFBC drafts, behind only Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant at the third base position. That number will start to rise based on this announcement. Only one shortstop, Trea Turner, is being selected ahead of him in drafts. The fact that he’ll gain dual-eligibility early in the season (after 10 games in NFBC leagues, less through other fantasy providers), is mighty appealing.

While there’s no doubt that Machado has the skillset to handle the transition to shortstop, he isn’t the only player who is changing occupations with this news. Tim Beckham, who had been slated to open the season as the Orioles’ starting shortstop, will now shift to third base. Showalter talked to Beckham on Friday and discussed the move, and Beckham seemed receptive. How that transition will work though, is unknown. Whereas Machado has extensive experience at the shortstop position in his career, Beckham has logged just nine big league games at the hot corner.

Beckham told the O’s faithful at FanFest on Saturday, "I'm open to [moving to third base], especially if it helps the team… The end goal is to win ballgames and we don't want to lose sight of that. I don't want to make this a big deal. I'll just transition over there, continue to make the plays and be consistent."

As long as the move works from a defensive perspective for the Orioles, it’s an added boost to the fantasy appeal of both players. Beckham is already shortstop-eligible, which is the much more scarce and harder to fill position, but gaining eligibility at third base helps his cause as well.

Beckham’s early ADP sits at pick 272, which puts him in the 19th round of 15-team formats. Remember, he lit the world on fire after joining the Orioles in a mid-season deal in 2017, slashing .306/.348/.523 with 10 homers, 26 RBI and a stolen base in only 50 games. He’ll again get the benefit of playing his home games in the hitter-friendly confines of Camden Yards and there have been rumblings that he’s going to begin the season as the Orioles’ leadoff hitter. He’s a player that I love heading into 2018, especially at his absurdly low average draft position.