Lately, the Baltimore Orioles have been fortunate to have a wealth of skill in the hot corner. One of baseball’s top players, Gunnar Henderson, may be set to take home the MVP award this season.
Manny Machado was a player with the Orioles who was possibly even better than Henderson. From 2012 until his sale to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018, Machado patrolled the left side of Baltimore’s infield. He was a consistent MVP contender during that time.
After the 2018 season, Machado signed a $300 million, 10-year contract with the San Diego Padres, indicating his intention to stay on the West Coast. He’s still had the skill, but in SoCal, he hasn’t been able to contribute to a winning squad.
Machado made a fleeting mention of his former team on Adam Jones‘ podcast on Thursday.
Jerry Coleman questioned Machado about his relationship with his old Orioles teammates, to which he said, “We still stay in touch with a small number of people.”My roots remain there. I continue to support the team and miss the city.”
Since Machado moved out of Baltimore in 2018, a lot has happened. Since then, the squad has undergone a complete renovation, and the team, which was struggling when Machado departed, is now poised for dynastic success.
When Machado signed with the Padres—who subsequently added Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Juan Soto, and Xander Bogaerts—that’s what he believed he was receiving. But the Orioles won the AL East and 101 games in 2023, while San Diego did not make the playoffs.
Machado has lots of time left to win a championship because he is only thirty-one years old. If Baltimore wins one without him, though, he might have some regrets.
