Dodgers officially acquire Manny Machado from Orioles in six-player deal

What has been rumored for the better part of two days has finally come to fruition as the Dodgers have officially acquired shortstop Manny Machado from the Orioles in exchange for five minor leaguers Wednesday.

The players going to Baltimore are outfielder Yusniel Diaz, right-hander Dean Kremer, third baseman Rylan Bannon, right-handed reliever Zach Pop and third baseman Breyvic Valera.

Easily the biggest trade chip on the market this season, Machado will play a big role in the Dodgers offense as they push for their sixth straight postseason birth. The 26-year-old is hitting .315/.387/.575 this season in Baltimore, with 24 homers and 21 doubles to go along with 65 RBI.

The third overall pick in the 2010 draft, Machado will be a free agent at season’s end.

By acquiring Machado, the Dodgers also took away an upgrade from other National League teams trying to get the slugger. The Orioles reportedly received offers from the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Phillies, Braves, Indians and Cubs.

The only player the Orioles got in the deal with any major league experience is Valera. The switch-hitting infielder was acquired earlier in the year from the Cardinals and has spent most of the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Valera is more of a depth guy with no significant value in terms of prospects.

Diaz, 21, was the big name in the deal for the Orioles. The outfielder has hit .288/.363/.437 in three minor league seasons, with 26 homers in 258 games. At Tulsa this season, Diaz has a .905 OPS with more walks (41) than strikeouts (39).

Diaz hit two home runs in Sunday’s Futures Game at Nationals Park that might have showed his new team a thing or two.

As far as where these prospects rank in the Dodgers’ farm system, Diaz is the only top 10 guy in the group.

Bannon was drafted in the eighth round of the 2017 draft, and has been tearing the cover off the ball lately at High-A Rancho, with 20 homers. In 129 career games in the minors, Bannon has 61 extra-base hits, including 30 homers and 25 doubles, driving in 91 runs while hitting .308/.409/.559.

The 22-year-old Kremer was recently promoted to Double-A Tulsa, completing all seven innings in the second game of a doubleheader without allowing a run. In 17 total starts this season between Tulsa and Rancho, the 2016 14th-round pick is 6-3 with a 3.03 ERA, striking out 125 in 86 innings.

Pop is a 21-year-old reliever drafted in the seventh round last year. In 19 games after getting promoted to Rancho, the right-hander has struck out 23 while allowing just one run in 27 innings.