The 2018 season is not of to a great start for Manny Machado and the Baltimore Orioles. Machado has been fine, mostly. He is 6 for 23 (.261) without a homer so far. Won't be long before he rakes. The Orioles, however, are 1-5 and have been outscored by 20 runs -- 20 runs! -- in their first six games. Ouch.
Machado will of course be a free agent after the season, when he and fellow Beltway superstar Bryce Harper will dominate the market and likely sign record contracts. And whenever he does sign his next contract, Machado wants to remain at shortstop long-term. Here's what he told reporters, including Zach Braziller of the New York Post, about his impending free agency Thursday:
"I made the commitment to go to short. I think moving forward I would like to stay there," Machado said Thursday before the Yankees and Orioles opened a four-game series in The Bronx. "This is not just a move, like you guys like to say, for money purposes. I'm going to get mine. It's where your heart is, where my heart has always been. That's where I want to be.
"I moved over for a reason. I made a commitment to it, and I'm going to stick to it."
Machado, who is still only 25, is a natural shortstop and he has predictably played well there in the early going this season. I don't think teams are too worried about his shortstop play the next few years. Maybe later down the line as part of a long-term contract, but not in the immediate future. Machado can play the position very well.
The New York Yankees, the team Machado has most been linked to in advance of free agency, already have a pretty good shortstop in the underrated Didi Gregorius. They also have a pretty great shortstop prospect in Gleyber Torres, who is ticketed for second base long-term and figures to be up by midseason. Miguel Andujar is a consensus top 100 third base prospect who is on the MLB roster right now. On paper, the Yankees have some nice long-term options on the infielder.
That said, as good as Gregorius is now and as promising as Torres and Andujar are, they are not Machado, and the Yankees wouldn't let them stand in the way of signing Machado should they go that route. After all, the Yankees already had a full outfield and one hulking right field slugger (Aaron Judge) before going out and getting another one (Giancarlo Stanton) over the winter just because they could. (Because the deal was too good to pass up, really.)
There is still an entire season that needs to be played out before Machado hits free agency and the Yankees or any other team can pursue him. The O's are going to try to re-sign him. The Philadelphia Phillies are definitely going to make a run at Machado. Would the Washington Nationals get involved if they lose Harper? Machado will have plenty of suitors, enough that he should be able to pick a team that lets him play shortstop without taking less.
