If Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is destined to leave Baltimore after the 2018 season, I get it. I may rail against management for sitting on their hands and waiting too long to get a fairer return, but, hey, there's no crying in baseball.
Everybody who knows the rules of engagement knows that a player goes from first-year arbitration eligible to second-year arbitration to free agency. The Orioles never could quite wrap their arms around Machado in time -- although I have heard MLB Radio's Jim Bowden say the sides were only a few million dollars apart a few years back, with the Orioles afraid of a lengthy deal because of Machado's knee issues.
But with all the Machado news circulating, the most troubling thing is this notion that the Orioles see a benefit in having the All-Star third baseman move to shortstop.
