The Manny Machado to the Chicago Cubs rumors have been ongoing since before spring training started. For the most part, those rumors seems to have been born from quite a bit of wishful thinking on the part of chi-town fans. Perhaps all that wishing and hoping did some good as recent comments by the Baltimore Orioles starting infielder seem to hint that he'd certainly love to play in Wrigley if he does get traded by the Orioles this season.

Machado's friendship with a certain Chicago Cubs outfielder

While, for the most part, Machado is saying all the right things when it comes to the recent trade rumors, the comments he made after Monday night's game seem to hint that he's wanting to steer the boat a little bit.

Machado mostly talked about how he wasn't going to think about the rumors that have been surrounding him moving on from Baltimore.

During one particular interview, Machado said that while he isn't thinking about getting traded he would very much like to "win a World Series alongside Albert Almora." That's very good news for Cubs fans who were wondering if there was any kind of in the Cubs might have in getting Machado this summer, and perhaps keeping him once they finally got him.

The problem with going after the slugger this summer has been the idea that he might be a half-year rental. While his friendship with Almora isn't going to be the deciding factor in where he ends up, it certainly couldn't hurt.

Manny could be an immediate impact player for the Cubs in a big way

The Chicago Cubs offense has been a bit hit or miss this season.

For the most part, it appears it's starting to turn around. There's still very little reason to think that Manny Machado wouldn't be an instant impact for the team. Since he came into the league, he's been one of the best offensive players in the game. This year, it seems like he might be taking another step in his evolution.

After having a bit of a dip in batting average, to .259 last year (he still hit 33 homers) he's batting well over .300 this season so far. Machado already has 15 homers and 43 runs batted in this year as well. In other words, Machado is instant offense. The added bonus is that the infielder can play shortstop or third baseman and do it pretty well. The only question is what would it take to trade for the Orioles' biggest and most valuable piece in years. There is some doubt the Chicago Cubs could come up with what the asking price for Manny Machado would be. Perhaps that's where his friendship with Albert Almora could come into play.
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