Manny Machado trade rumors have been circulating since opening day, and now that the Baltimore Orioles are slowly fading into the abyss of the AL East standings behind the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, just how serious are the Orioles when it comes to dealing their superstar infielder? That question may be answered very soon.

Everywhere you look, you see a Manny Machado rumor tying him to the Chicago Cubs or New York Yankees. According to an NJ.com report, the LA Dodgers, who already have a huge payroll to deal with, and the Philadelphia Phillies are both rumored to be in the running.

While some of those rumors may have a bit of truth to them, an outside team like the Detroit Tigers could have a great shot at dealing for Machado, and here’s why.

Most to offer?

The Detroit Tigers may have the most to offer Baltimore in terms of prospects. The Tigers have several pitchers and position players in their farm system that are highly ranked -- not just by the Tigers organization, but in the entire league. Pitching prospects Franklin Perez, Matt Manning, Beau Burrows and Alex Faedo have all caught the attention of many scouts around the league -- not to mention rising outfielder Christin Stewart.

Perez came to Detroit as part of the Justin Verlander deal. According to an SB Nation report, the 20-year-old posted 3.02 ERA with 78/27 K/BB in 86 innings in High-A and Double-A at the tender age of 19.

The comments you see about Perez from many MLB team scouts is that he is “extremely polished” for his age. Manning, Burrows, and Faedo also come with a lot of upsides to them. Detroit may not totally be against dangling Michael Fulmer to sweeten a deal for Machado as well.

Just like last season when Detroit parted ways with Justin Verlander, it will be hard for Orioles fans to see Machado go, but the positive could be what they get in return.

Baltimore wants pitching, and the Tigers have plenty of that to offer.

Something is better than nothing

Prospects are just that -- prospects. You just never know how they will pan out. In Machado, you have an All-Star type guy who is still young at 25, and definitely strikes fear into the opposing team. However, the fact that Machado will likely hit the open market this winter means that the Orioles will be gambling on if they can re-sign him or not.

If he walks, Baltimore gets nothing in return. Machado could fetch a high price right now. With the Tigers holding the No. 1 pick overall in the 2018 MLB Draft next week, they have a lot of options on their plate. Their minor league system is starting to get deep, meaning right now would be a great time to make a splash and look to bring a guy who can help this team win now.

Yes, I said now.

When Ron Gardenhire took over, he said he didn’t believe that the Tigers were 3-4 years away from winning. He expected Detroit to compete from day one, and considering the lineup he has had to throw out day in and day out, the potential for this squad is much better than first thought. Gardy said he loves this youthful team, and so far he's gotten a lot out of this squad.

For a team who was predicted to lose 110 games this season, they look pretty darn good.

Adding a player like Machado to a lineup with rising stars like Nicholas Castellanos, Jeimer Candelario, and JaCoby Jones -- not to mention placing him behind Miguel Cabrera in the lineup -- Detroit could have a pretty impressive top five or six hitters.

On the heels of losing 119 games in 2003, Detroit went out and signed Pudge Rodriguez in 2004 and were in the World Series in 2006. The 2018 Tigers squad is miles ahead of that 2003 team. Make this trade, Tigers, and become a serious contender in 2019.
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