German_Force » really strong.”Friedman would not say how he would

Greg Fiume/Getty ImagesThe MLB non-waiver trade deadline isn't until Tuesday Mike Matheny Jersey , July 31, at 4 p.m. ET, but numerous teams are making big moves already. Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado is now a Los Angeles Dodger, and New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia headed west to join the Oakland Athletics' postseason quest.A few more deals should go down well before July 31, including one for Balitmore Orioles reliever Zach Britton, who is arguably the most coveted player left on the trading block.Here's a look at the latest news and rumors on him as well as Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas and Tampa Bay Rays starter Chris Archer. Zach BrittonTwo American League powerhouses have emerged as the leaders for Zach Britton, a two-time All-Star who managed 47 saves and a microscopic 0.54 ERA just two seasons ago.Per Jim Bowden of The Athletic:Jim Bowden JimBowdenGM#Astros #Yankees in the lead for Zach Britton but several other teams still in play as trade negotiations are rounding third and heading for home. #OriolesAfter a sweep of the Seattle Mariners gave the New York Yankees a 50-22 record, the Bronx Bombers are just 13-13 in their last 26 games, which include series splits with the last-place Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets. A disheartening 7-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, in which ace Luis Severino looked shaky and Gary Sanchez loafed on the field and base paths, didn't inspire any confidence.The Yankees will likely make a move prior to the deadline to help right the ship, butNew York needs help in the starting rotation more than anything. Still, another bullpen arm can't hurt.The Houston Astros seem like a much more plausible destination for Britton. Houston's bullpen jumped from 17th in reliever ERA to second this year, thanks in part to the efforts of converted starter Collin McHugh (5-0, 0.96 ERA) and Hector Rondon (1.53 ERA).However, it can't hurt for Houston to improve on its pen, especially considering that the team had a 5.40 relief ERA in the postseason last year. It ended up not costing the team the World Series, but it did cost them some games. Adding Britton as insurance would help prevent a similar situation occurring again.Mike MoustakasThe bottom has fallen out on the Royals just three short years after winning the 2015 World Series. The core of that 2015 team has slowly dissipated over the past few campaigns: Notably, first baseman Eric Hosmer is a San Diego Padre, and outfielder Lorenzo Cain is now a Milwaukee Brewer.Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports and the MLB Network http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-red-schoendienst-jersey , Mike Moustakas could now be on the move:Jon Morosi jonmorosiSources: #Brewers have considered possibility of acquiring Mike Moustakas and moving Travis Shaw to 2B, but pitching may become the more urgent priority following Suter injury. MLBNetwork MLBMoose would join his ex-teammate Cain in Milwaukee, which is right in the thick of a playoff race. However, the Brewers are 3-11 in their last 14 games and in serious danger of missing the playoffs, especially with tough series looming against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs.Milwaukee needs another bat or two in the lineup, and Moustakas could help fill that void. This season, the left-handed slugger has hit 19 home runs in addition to 59 RBI and a .770 OPS. Much of that damage has come against right-handers (15 homers, .808 OPS).The question is whether incumbent third baseman Travis Shaw, who has never played second base at any point during his big-league career, could make the transition to the opposite side of the infield. If so, the Brewers lineup will have received a monstrous boost. If not, then this potential deal could falter. Chris ArcherThe Tampa Bay Rays are in an odd spot. On one end, the team has gone 11 games over .500 since a 4-13 start, which has resulted in a 51-49 record after 100 games.That's encouraging, but the American League is top heavy this year, and Tampa is still nine games back of the second wild-card spot.Tampa has a long road ahead to make the playoffs, and MLB.com isn't giving the Rays much of a shot (0.7 percent postseason projection).Therefore, the Rays could potentially look toward trading some veterans and rebuilding for a brighter future. Chris Archer has been the subject of trade rumors for a few years now, and that hasn't changed for this season.Per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:"According to a source Enos Slaughter Jersey , multiple teams have expressed serious interest in Archer, who is 3-4 with a 4.30 ERA in 16 starts this season."Per Fangraphs, Archer has a career 3.44 xFIP and 25.8 percent strikeout rate. At this best, he is simply untouchable thanks in part to a nasty slider he throws 42.7 percent of the time. He has been hit hard of late (41.6 percent hard-hit rate in 2018), but his 13.5 percent swinging strike rate helps negate that contact.The two-time All-Star is a free agent prior to the 2020 season, when he will be 31 years old. He likely has a fat multi-year contract waiting for him in two years, which is why Tampa, the team with the third-lowest payroll in the bigs, may have incentive to move him sooner rather than later. CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Andrew Friedman knew he was getting a player who didn’t hustle all the time when he traded for Manny Machado. Still, the Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations was willing to acquire the four-time All-Star infielder because his good points outweighed the bad.“He got booed in Baltimore three weeks before we traded for him,” Friedman said Tuesday at the general managers’ meetings. “It’s not like it was a secret. I think it’s never a fun thing to watch, at least from my perspective and vantage point, but I do think it’s important to dig further into that, and I think there are times when guys do that and they don’t really care. And I think there are other times where guys do it and they really do care, and by care I mean the effort they put into their work, the type of teammate they are, and Manny checks all those boxes.”Machado is among the top two free agents on the market along with outfielder Bryce Harper after a 3½ -month stay with the Dodgers. The 26-year-old was acquired from the Orioles in mid-July and took over the shortstop job that opened when Corey Seager tore an elbow ligament in late April that required season-ending surgery.Machado hit .273 with 13 homers and 42 RBIs in 66 games, and the Dodgers won their second straight NL pennant. He hit .227 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 16 postseason games, including .182 (4 for 22) with three RBIs in the five-game World Series loss to Boston.He kicked Milwaukee first baseman Jesus Aguilar near the ankle as he jogged out a groundout during the NL Championship Series http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-chris-carpenter-jersey , leading to a $10,000 fine, and was criticized for a pair of hard slides into Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia, prompting Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich to call Machado “a dirty player.”Machado stood at home plate watching a fly ball in Game 3 that bounced off a wall and became a 368-foot single, spiked Boston first baseman Steve Pearce in Game 4 and fell to a knee striking out against Chris Sale in Game 5, ending the Dodgers’ second straight World Series loss.“So would I rather see more effort as I’m watching? Of course. I think anyone would say that,” Friedman said. “But I think that in and of itself isn’t as critical of a dynamic as it would be if he didn’t care, if he didn’t put in the work, didn’t put in the effort, and that in our 3 1/2 months of being around him was really strong.”Friedman would not say how he would fill the void if Farhan Zaidi, the Dodgers general manager and No. 2 baseball operations official for the past four years, left for San Francisco.“We’ll talk about that if it happens,” Friedman said.Hours later, the Giants announced Zaidi as their new president of baseball operations.Friedman said he is confident the Dodgers will reach a new agreement with Dave Roberts, their manager for the past three seasons.“The conversations have been pleasant and they have been ongoing,” Friedman said.