If Dodgers still want to compete in 2018, they need Machado

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2018 season as the clear favorites to take home the National League pennant. Riding high off last season's World Series appearance, all the pieces appeared to be in place: a rotation led by the best starter in Clayton Kershaw, a bullpen locked down by Kenley Jansen, and an offense combining top young hitters and solid veterans.

What could go wrong? In a word: everything.

Kershaw has been fine, but he hasn't quite been Kershaw; he issued six walks in his last start, something he hadn't done since 2010. The rest of the rotation has been solid, though not spectacular. The bullpen, however, has been an absolute disaster, posting a 4.61 ERA, with Jansen among the chief culprits. He's blown two saves already, and he's allowed three home runs in 9 2/3 innings after only giving up five in the entire 2017 season.

Meanwhile, third baseman Justin Turner has yet to play a game this season after injuring his wrist in March. As Turner finally nears his return to action, the team learned Monday that star shortstop Corey Seager needs Tommy John surgery and is done for the year.

While some might say there's no need to panic - it's only April, after all - the 12-15 Dodgers are already behind the eight ball in the National League West. The Arizona Diamondbacks are 19-8 and have won each of their first nine series to open the season. L.A., a win-now team that hasn't captured a championship since 1988, despite often being perceived as a perennial contender, should be feeling a certain amount of urgency.

Enter Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado.

Trading for Machado makes so much sense for the Dodgers that they should at least consider it, even if the brass has no intention of signing him when he becomes a free agent at season's end. Seager, just 24, is the shortstop of the future in L.A., but Machado would give the team a much-needed boost, and he may already be on general manager Farhan Zaidi's radar.

"We're going to have a pretty high bar if we go outside the organization," Zaidi said Monday, according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. "We're still digesting this news right now, too. And we still feel good about the lineup we can field on an everyday basis."

Entering Monday's slate of games, Machado is tied with Mike Trout for second in the majors with 1.9 WAR through 28 games. He's hitting .361/.448/.676 with nine home runs, 22 RBIs, and 14 runs scored. He's walking more often than he's striking out and has raised his fly ball rate 5 percent from a season ago. In other words, he clears a pretty high bar.

Oh yeah, the luxury tax

However, a couple of issues could prevent a deal. The first is the Dodgers' goal to remain under the luxury-tax threshold for 2018.

That's certainly suboptimal if you're a Dodgers fan.

Even if the Dodgers technically have the money, the penalty could hurt their chances of re-tooling via free agency. The franchise seemed to be planning to get below the threshold this season in order to reset the penalty before pursuing the winter's stacked free-agent class (Machado, Bryce Harper, Josh Donaldson, et al). Adding Machado now may complicate things in November and beyond.

Who do the Dodgers give up?

The Orioles are going to command a king's ransom in exchange for their slugging superstar, and that means prospect capital. Baltimore would ask for either top pitching prospect Walker Buehler - who's already made a major-league impact in 2018 - or Julio Urias, who's recovering from shoulder surgery.

That price tag may be enough to make president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and Co. balk. The Dodgers' rotation is makeshift and injury-prone even after trading Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy in the offseason. Rich Hill is on the disabled list, and Kershaw, Alex Wood, and Hyun-Jin Ryu each have recent histories of injury trouble. What happens if L.A. trades Buehler and another starter gets hurt?

Landing Machado without giving up Buehler may be a tall task, especially since Urias likely wouldn't cut it on his own. Outfielder Alex Verdugo might have been an option because he appeared to lack a clear path to the majors, but with Yasiel Puig on the shelf as of Sunday, he's now part of the team's current plans.

If the Dodgers stand pat - or pursue less high-profile trades - they could move Chris Taylor to shortstop (though he's only played 21 games at the position since the beginning of 2016) and use Enrique Hernandez there as well. This would open up a more permanent spot for Verdugo even after Puig returns.

Machado would look great in Dodger Blue, and acquiring a superstar of his caliber makes the most sense as a catalyst after Seager's injury. Such a move isn't outside the realm of possibility, but the Dodgers would have to get creative to make it happen.

With the dominant Diamondbacks looking like the team to beat in the NL West, Machado could be the great equalizer. If the Dodgers are serious about winning a championship now and not later - always later - then they need to bite the bullet and make a deal.