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In all likelihood, the All-Star Game will be Manny Machado's final appearance in a Baltimore Orioles uniform.
- Manny Machado is reportedly set to be traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, according to USA Today.
- The timing of the move makes for an awkward goodbye for Machado, who after seven seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, will likely suit up for the team for the last time at the All-Star Game on Tuesday.
- The trade could have been even more awkward had it gone through before the All-Star Game, as it would have left the Orioles without a single representative.
The biggest prize of the 2018 MLB trading block looks has reportedly found his new home, as the Baltimore Orioles are expected to trade Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Machado entered the season as one of the biggest names likely to be moved as the trade deadline neared. With the Orioles well out of the playoff hunt and Machado on the final year of his contract before free agency, it made sense that he would be traded as Baltimore attempts to reload with some talent that can help the franchise down the line. With Machado hitting .315 with 24 home runs and 65 RBIs so far this season, he's being moved when his value is high and while there's still plenty of baseball to be played in the season.
While the trade was expected, the timing of the move does make for a bit of an awkward goodbye - if the deal goes through on Wednesday as planned, Machado's last appearance in an Orioles uniform will be at the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night after seven years in Baltimore.
That said, things could have taken an even more awkward turn had Machado been officially moved to the Dodgers before the game. Had that happened, Machado would have potentially appeared as an All-Star representing the Dodgers, leaving the AL a man down and the Orioles without a representative in the game.
The deal is not yet official, and Nightengale noted that the Orioles are still in communication with the Phillies and Brewers, two of the other teams understood to be in the running to land Baltimore's star shortstop. But even if the deal with the Dodgers were to fall through at the 11th hour, chances are Machado would not suit up in an Orioles uniform again before being shipped to his new home.