On the night of the All-Star Game Jamize Olawale Jersey , Manny Machado will proudly represent the Baltimore Orioles, the only team he’s played for in the big leagues.
It just might be his final appearance in an Orioles uniform. With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline looming, it won’t be long before the four-time AL All-Star is dealt from last-place Baltimore to a contender.
Machado was drafted by the Orioles with the third overall pick in 2010 and has been a starter in Baltimore since 2012. His contract expires after this season, and the Orioles don’t have enough money to keep the 26-year-old shortstop and build a decent team around him.
If there was ever any doubt about their intention, the point was hammered home when manager Buck Showalter removed Machado in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game against Texas because the field was messy following a rain delay.
”A month ago he wouldn’t have come out of the game,” Showalter said. ”We know that. You know it.”
Machado does, too. What he doesn’t know, however, is how it might feel to play for another team.
”The only thing I’ve ever known has been the Orioles organization,” he said Monday. ”The drafted me, I came up with them, played with them. So I don’t know anything different.”
Machado wasn’t the only All-Star facing the prospect of switching teams in the next two weeks. Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and pitchers Jacob deGrom (Mets), J.A. Happ (Blue Jays) Lorenzo Alexander Jersey , Blake Snell (Rays) and Brad Hand (Padres) could be headed to contenders.
”Starting pitching is always big during the trade deadline, whether it’s me or somebody else who’s having a good year,” said deGrom, 30, a member of the Mets for his entire career.
The Blue Jays are going nowhere this season in the AL East, but Happ knows he might be going somewhere else.
”I know it’s certainly a possibility,” Happ said. ”But I was talking to one of the guys earlier, he was in a position last year where everybody was telling him he was going to be traded, and it never happened. I can’t imagine going through a month of that kind of anxiety and then have nothing happen.”
With Machado, there seems to be little doubt that he’s headed elsewhere. The only questions now are where, and when.
The rumors, the massive media crowd around him Monday and the prospect of his imminent departure from Baltimore did nothing to diminish Machado’s joy at being an All-Star again.
”To see the guys around the clubhouse, it’s pretty awesome Michael Irvin Jersey ,” Machado said. ”It’s always a blessing to be here. No one will ever take away how much fun I’m going to have these two days.”
He insists he’s not thinking about whether Tuesday night might be his last in Orioles attire.
”No, no. I’m putting it on and I’m going to represent the organization in the right way,” Machado said. ”If it is, it is. If not, I’ll be there on Friday (in Toronto), back with my teammates.”
Machado would be a solid addition to any contender. He converted from third base to shortstop this season, and has played the position well enough to easily win the fan vote at the position.
”People didn’t think I should have made the move in my walk year, but I did. I’m going to the All-Star Game as an Oriole and as a shortstop,” Machado said.
By far the best performer on a very bad team, Machado leads the Orioles in batting average (.315), home runs (24), RBIs (65) and walks (45).
”We’ll see where he ends up in the next week or two,” Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich said. ”I know we’re one of the teams rumored to be in to get him.”
DeGrom (5-4 Shane Lechler Jersey , 1.68 ERA) would be a welcome addition to any team. The righty wants to win but would prefer it be with the Mets.
”I’ve been here my whole career and really enjoyed my time,” he said. ”I want to get back to where we were in ’15 (a playoff year). I don’t think there’s any better place to win.”
That’s exactly how Happ feels.
”If I could have my choice, I’d like to win with the Jays,” he said. ”That’s my focus until it changes.”
Hand (24 saves) won’t waste time thinking about the possibility of being dealt by the Padres.
”I feel like I’ve been asked my thoughts on being traded for the past year-and-a-half now,” he said. ”Nothing happened last year, so I don’t think my mindset is going to change. I try not to worry about that kind of stuff.”
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Tom Brady has thrown touchdown passes to many receivers during his 18 NFL seasons. He'll likely be adding new names to the list.
The Patriots receiving corps took a hit this offseason: the trade of Brandin Cooks to the Rams; the free-agency departure of Danny Amendola to Miami; and Julian Edelman's suspension for the first four games for a drug-policy violation.
That leaves New England's top returning wide receiver as Chris Hogan, who had 34 catches for 439 yards and five touchdowns in 2017.
It means there will be an opportunity for others. The candidates are a mix of familiar names of newcomers.
Hogan earned Brady's trust the past two seasons and will certainly be a major part of the passing offense, along with All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski. But it will also be a chance for the likes of Phillip Dorsett, Jordan Matthews and Kenny Britt to become factors in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' system.
Dorsett said going through his first offseason program in New England has been big help.
"I'm just light years past where I was last year when it came to just knowing the playbook (and) knowing what to do," said Dorsett, a 2015 first-round pick by the Colts, who was traded to New England for Jacoby Brissett just before the start of last season. "I feel comfortable at every position."
And Dorsett seems to be a guy the coaching staff is looking to play multiple positions. He was lined up both in the slot and on the outside during spring drills.
The wild card in the discussion is third-year receiver Malcolm Mitchell, who spent all of 2017 on injured reserve with a knee injury. He missed the opening day of training camp Thursday. He was on the field Friday Kendall Wright Jersey , though he joined the team only for warmups before heading to a separate field for rehabbing players.
Coach Bill Belichick declined to say whether Mitchell might be on the trade block this preseason, but his presence is a welcome sign for a player who showed lots of potential as a rookie in 2016.
Mitchell appeared in 14 games that season, hauling in 32 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He also had six catches for 70 yards in New England's Super Bowl win over Atlanta.
Matthews has a similar injury history. He was plagued by knee and ankle issues the past two seasons before being signed by the Patriots to a one-year deal in April.
Meanwhile, Britt's situation mirrors Dorsett's, with Britt having just gone through his first spring in New England after signing in December and appearing in only three games last season.
Hogan is just two years removed from being a wide-eyed newcomer to the Patriots when he arrived in 2016. Now entering his third season in New England, Hogan said he wants to be the veteran presence that players like Edelman and Amendola were for him.
He likes the group and expects there to be tough decisions for the coaches to make by the end of camp.
"The competition brings out the best in people," Hogan said. "It's great that we have such a great room and a lot of guys that want to compete. ... When we come out here, we're not going through the motions."