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Levine: Cubs, White Sox Still In On Manny Machado Conversations

By Bruce Levine--

(670 The Score) -- While the White Sox have been connected to the Manny Machado sweepstakes for almost a week, the Cubs are another one of the teams the Orioles have had trade discussions with, a source confirmed.

Any Machado trade that Baltimore makes would likely need to return the Orioles a package of controllable young players. Machado, 25, is a three-time All-Star who hit .259 with 33 homers and 95 RBIs last season. He's also one of the best defensive players in the game.

The White Sox seem to be the most intriguing team with their treasure trove of young talent. They have an arsenal that includes pitching at all levels of the organization, and the Orioles are looking for quality arms to reinvigorate their depleted depth.

The Cubs' trade match with the Orioles seems more like a longshot, as they don't have as much young pitching that near MLB-ready.

Complicating matters is that Machado has only one year left on his contract before hitting free agency, and no team wants to give up a wealth of prospects only to see him leave after 2018.

Beyond that, Orioles owner Peter Angelos is likely to veto any Machado trade, Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio said Tuesday. Angelos may fear a team acquiring Machado, only to them flip him to the rival Yankees.

The Cubs have plenty on their plate as it is now with their pursuit of free-agent right-hander Yu Darvish, with whom they had a meeting Monday. Darvish then had a meeting with the Astros on Tuesday, per reports. He's also been linked to the Twins and Rangers.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

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