The Phillies seem view Sixto Sanchez as a future ace. (Brandon Apter/SportsTalkPhilly)
By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Manny Machado and Sixto Sanchez are two of the best names in baseball. They won't, however, be involved in a trade for each other, it appears.
According to both Jayson Stark and Dan Clark, the Philadelphia Phillies are unwilling to include Sanchez, their 19-year-old pitching prospect, in any trade for Machado:
"We know that they love Manny Machado, but they are not going to trade for him. The Orioles wanted Sixto Sanchez, and (the Phillies) said, why would we give someone up who, if all goes to plan, is the next Pedro Martinez?" – @jaysonst
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) December 14, 2017
19-year-old RHP Sixto Sanchez (the Phillies' top pitching prospect) is NOT included in Manny Machado trade talks either. #Orioles #HotStove
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) December 14, 2017
Phillies believe their offer for Machado is not strong enough to make a trade happen. #Orioles want Sixto Sanchez.
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) December 14, 2017
Earlier this week, Roch Kubatko of MASN, in a piece discussing the Phillies interest in Baltimore Orioles superstar Manny Machado, noted that the Orioles "covet" Sanchez. However, he also pointed out that Sanchez is viewed so highly that he might be off-the-table, even in a potential deal for one of the five most talented players in the league.
Kubatko joined Joe Giglio on SportsRadio 94 WIP Tuesday evening, and took things a step further, saying he spoke to a scout that compared Sanchez to Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez.
Orioles general manager Dan Duquette told the collective media Thursday, including Joel Sherman of The New York Post, that he doesn't see giving any acquiring team a chance to work out a long-term extension with Machado as "a viable option." There's a debate to be had about whether it would make sense to include Sanchez or second base prospect Scott Kingery in a trade if the Phillies had the chance to acquire Machado and sign him to a long-term deal. But if he's unwilling to discuss a long-term deal at this time, the Phillies simply could not risk trading any of their elite prospects and potentially losing Machado in free-agency next offseason.
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Other teams appear unwilling to meet the asking price that the Orioles have for Machado as well. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Wednesday evening that the Cardinals felt that the Orioles were asking for too much in return for Machado. Clark reported that the White Sox are unwilling to include Michael Kopech, one of the top prospects that they got in return for Chris Sale last offseason.
Without a willingness to negotiate a new contract from Machado, it appears that the Orioles will have a tough time securing a return that the deem worthy of moving Machado. Perhaps that means they will ultimately decide to lower their price. Perhaps a team will cave and take the chance they re-sign Machado next offseason. Or perhaps the Orioles, one of the more difficult to figure out organizations in sports, will decide to stop considering trade offers for Machado and make one last push with him in 2018, which seemed to be their plan at the beginning of the week.
Stark, in the same radio appearance, suggested that the Phillies believe there will be a bidding war for Machado next offseason, one that they can be competitive in. Many other reporters, both locally and nationally, have echoed those same sentiments, meaning there appears to be a belief around the sport that Machado will hit the free-agent market next offseason, almost regardless of where he plays in 2018. If that's the case, expect the Phillies to continue to balk at the idea of parting with Sanchez, and other suitors to do the same with their top prospects.
