By: TJ Hartnett

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

A few weeks back I wrote an article assessing the merits of two potential trade targets for the Atlanta Braves: Cole Hamels and Mike Moustakas.

I went over what they might bring to the team, the kinds of packages the Braves might send over in return for these two particular players and whether or not I thought such a trade would be worth it for Alex Anthopolous to make (to sum up: I did not think so).

I wrote about these two because they were the two names bandied about that actually made sense that Atlanta could possibly go out and get them. You know who I did not mention in that article? Manny Machado.

Machado, who is in a walk year and who is having arguably the best year of his already stellar career for the Baltimore Orioles.

I didn’t bring him up because trading for the guy didn’t seem particularly feasible. The price would be too high for a two-month rental.

But now, as June has turned to July and the trade deadline fast approaches, Machado – who is almost certainly going to be traded somewhere – is being linked to a number teams.

One of those teams in the Atlanta Braves.

Now no one is sure what kind of return Baltimore is expecting, but Machado is a fortunes-changing talent, even for just two months, so the asking price is sure to be high.

I ask you – is there anything the Braves could conceivably give up for Machado that the Orioles would accept that would also be worth trading away for two months of an elite talent?

I say two months because the argument that getting a player to play in your city helps sell your city to that player is nonsense. The notion that Machado would come to Atlanta and sign an extension is fantasy.

Machado, for some stupid reason, seems to be second fiddle to Bryce Harper for the coming offseason (Machado has a higher career batting average, three seasons of 30+ homeruns to Bryce’s one, two Gold Gloves to Bryce’s zero, and is having a much better 2018); but he’s going to make ungodly sums of money next year and for years to come.

There is not a snowball’s chance in hell that he doesn’t reach free agency. And then what? Are the Braves going to get into a bidding war? Of course not. They will have money to play with during this offseason, but not that kind of money.

There is very little chance Machado is playing with a tomahawk on his chest come Opening Day 2019, so whatever the Braves hypothetically give up to get him in 2018 will be for less than half a season’s worth of Manny.

In a vacuum I would, of course, love to see Manny in the Braves lineup, but there would be a cost to make that happen. And the Orioles will want too much.

I know the Braves have incredible depth in pitching, but any of their top 10 pitching prospects are worth hanging onto for something more sustainable. Is trading away five more years of what Max Fried could be equitable to two months of what we know Manny Machado is? I just don’t think so.