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July 17 (UPI) -- The Manny Machado rumor mill took another turn at the Home Run Derby as the slugger took a photo with New York Yankees players. Machado's nephew also said that he wanted his uncle to play in the Bronx. The stunts took place at the 2018 Home Run Derby Monday at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
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The Baltimore Orioles slugger walked onto the MLB Network set with his nephew, J.J. After several questions about Machado's season and where he might end up next, analyst Pedro Martinez had a proposal for J.J.
"Your uncle plays for the Baltimore Orioles, if it's not on the Orioles, where would you like to see your uncle?" Martinez asked.
"Yankees," J.J. responded.
Machado smirked and shook his head, but did not comment on the move. The four-time All-Star was also pictured in a photo with Yankees All-Stars Aroldis Chapman, Gleyber Torres and Luis Servino, posted to Chapman's Instagram account. "You put the caption," Chapman wrote for the caption on the photo, which had nearly 50,000 likes as of Tuesday morning.
The Orioles infielder has been linked to the Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox.
Sources told ESPN Tuesday that the Orioles have the structure of a deal in place, regarding Machado.
Hometown favorite Bryce Harper won the Home Run Derby, outlasting the Chicago Cubs' Kyle Schwarber. Machado is hitting No. 7 in the batting order and starting at shortstop for the American League in the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. First pitch comes at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Nationals Park.
Machado, 26, is hitting .315, with 24 home runs and 65 RBIs in 96 games this season. He will hit free agency in 2019.
