Kuzul

The Baltimore Orioles are not only one of the most dangerous hitting teams in baseball, but they’re also the best defensive squad in the game. 

So, despite the fact that many of their best players are still quite young, the O’s are clearly in win-now mode.

Understanding that championship windows like this don’t last forever, Baltimore’s front office must look to make a trade that nets a player who will make this team better in 2014—even if it must sacrifice future success (in the form of prized prospects) to do so.

The Orioles are one or two players away from being legitimate championship contenders, and with the MLB trade deadline two months away, now is the perfect time to begin thinking about some options.

The following two trade proposals make sense for two reasons. First, they make the 2014 Baltimore Orioles better. Second, there is a legitimate chance of the trades occurring.

Let’s take a look.

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The last memory baseball fans have of the Baltimore Orioles’ Manny Machado is him writhing in pain after twisting his knee running out a play at first base. It appears fantasy experts have that same memory, as well, considering how low they have him ranked heading into 2014. 

ESPN’s Tristan Cockcroft has him ranked 114th, Fox Sports has him ranked 111th and Sports Illustrated has him at 112th.

I can understand trusting the “experts” and assuming Machado will still be around 110 picks into a draft. However, you’d better hope there aren’t any Orioles fans in your league, because anyone who followed Manny’s 2013 season and witnessed the extraordinary talent he possesses will be picking him far earlier than that.

For all you non-O’s fans out there, let me explain why you should reach for Machado in your draft this year.

Did you watch that clip? If not, go ahead and watch it now. I’ll wait. If you did, you probably want to watch it again, so I’ll wait for you guys, too.

While a play like that isn’t going to help you win your fantasy league, it shows how naturally gifted Manny Machado is. He possesses the kind of talent that makes it impossible to predict what he’ll do next. We have no idea what he’s capable of.

Seriously, though, did anyone “project” that Machado would win a Gold Glove in his first full season playing third base? Or that he’d lead the American League in doubles as a 21-year-old?   

When it comes to Manny Machado, projections are meaningless. So instead of looking at those, consider these facts instead.

His home run numbers could explode at any time

Last season, Machado hit just 14 home runs. However, he also hit 51 doubles. As he continues to gain experience and begins to grow into his frame, a lot of those doubles are going to turn into home runs. That could happen as soon as 2014. 

His swing is so long and possesses so much drive that the ball comes off with a lot of backspin, enabling him to hit into the gaps routinely. In the following two clips are two perfect examples of this. With some added strength, those could both very well be homers this season.

The Orioles have arguably the best lineup in baseball

Last season, the Orioles led MLB in home runs by a huge margin. Then they added Nelson Cruz this offseason. Am I crazy to assume they’ll be at the front of the pack again this season? Honestly, I think I’d be crazy if I didn’t.

So, needless to say, Machado will have some solid protection behind him in the lineup again. Machado will presumably hit in the 2-slot yet again, with Chris Davis and Adam Jones behind him. Cruz will probably slide into the 5-slot.

My goodness.

He’s already one of the best players in MLB and on the road to stardom

Don’t let the fantasy ranking fool you. Manny Machado is already one of the best players in baseball. His injury and the fact that he’s young have contributed to his ranking being where it is, but any true baseball fan understands his talent.

They also understand his potential.

If you are in a keeper league and you don’t find a way to draft this kid, you’ll be constantly reminded of your mistake. There is no reason to think he can’t become a .300/35/100 player in the near future. Don’t pass that up.

His injury is not as bad as it looked

When Machado went down last season, it looked terrible. Anyone watching that game immediately thought the worst. 

However, it didn’t end up being nearly as bad as it appeared to be. In fact, some reports are saying he might even be ready for Opening Day.

We should take that with a grain of salt, considering the conflicting reports…

But the fact that it’s even a possibility should clear up any concern you might have about his injury completely derailing his season.

Machado is going to be a stud once again in 2014. Forget the projections, disregard the metrics and simply admire the natural talent. Then draft him.

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When the Baltimore Orioles traded Danny Valencia to the Kansas City Royals for David Lough this offseason, they were hoping they were acquiring a high-energy player who could help fill the void in left field created by Nate McLouth’s departure. 

So far this spring, it appears they got exactly what they hoped for. 

Here are five takeaways from Lough’s performance thus far for the O’s.

He’s been the Orioles’ best defensive left fielder

Lough will be competing with Nolan Reimold and Delmon Young for playing time this season. You could probably throw Nelson Cruz into that conversation as well, although I see him playing much more DH than left field.

If he’s going to beat out those other guys, it’s going to be because of his defense. His instincts in left field and the closing speed he possesses are why the Orioles made the trade. So far in spring training, he’s already made two spectacular catches.   

He brings added value on the basepaths

Lough is fast. In fact, he’s one of the fastest players in all of baseball. In an interview with Eduardo Encina of The Baltimore Sun, Orioles manager Buck Showalter praised him for his ability on the basepaths.

I think of all the guys in the American League who were timed, he had the lowest average time down the line, the fastest of anybody, which tells me two things. He can run and he can run balls out. I know some guys who run as fast as him but didn’t finish in the top 10.

So, not only will Lough be a threat to steal bases (he’s second on the team with two already this spring), he’ll also be someone capable of stretching doubles into triples on a regular basis. 

Speaking of triples, he already has two of those this spring, as well. Watch here as he makes this look incredibly easy:

Most guys are staying at second base after a hit like that. Others might attempt to stretch it into a triple, but not without a close play at the bag. Lough jogs into third like it’s nothing. 

Even when he isn’t starting in left, Lough could be the Orioles’ most valuable bench player in 2014

For the same reasons I stated above, Lough could very well be Baltimore’s best pinch runner. So when he isn’t in the starting lineup, he will still have value there.

Though he’s just 6-8 on steal attempts at the big league level, he was 31-40 in two years at Triple-A, per Baseball Reference. 

He’s a great locker room guy

Who doesn’t want a teammate who is all about “intensity” and is a self-described “hard-nosed player”?

The Orioles’ recent run of success has a lot to do with the talent they have, but it can also be largely attributed to the overall attitude in the locker room.

It’s a very unselfish group in Baltimore. The Orioles are a team full of guys who love the game of baseball and truly believe in and trust Showalter. Every player is willing to do what’s best for the team, and Lough seems like he’s going to fit in perfectly. 

He’s the front-runner to start in left field against right-handed pitchers

So far this spring, Lough has been used almost exclusively against right-handers, where he has performed fairly well (.273 BA, .304 OBP, .455 SLG).

Last year in Kansas City, the Royals used him in a similar fashion.

I definitely see the Orioles trotting Lough out against right-handed pitchers to start the year. Those stats against left-handers in 2013 aren’t too bad, either. 

Could he be the Orioles’ full-time starter in left field? What do you think? Comment below.

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