Former Baltimore Orioles Superstar May Regret Leaving
The Baltimore Orioles have been blessed with a lot of talent at the hot corner recently. Gunnar Henderson is already one of the best players in baseball and could be ready to win an MVP this year.
Before Henderson, the Orioles had a player who was arguably even better in Manny Machado. Machado roamed the left side of Baltimore's infield for nearly a decade, debuting in 2012 and establishing himself as a perennial MVP candidate until he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018.
Machado decided to remain on the West Coast, signing a 10-year, $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres after the 2018 season. He's continued to play at a high level, but team success has eluded him in SoCal.
On Thursday, Machado briefly spoke about his old team on Adam Jones' podcast.
When asked by Jerry Coleman if he still keeps in touch with his former Orioles teammates, Machado replied, "There's still a handful of people that we're still in contact with...My roots are still there. I still miss the city and I still follow the team."
Much has changed since Machado left Baltimore in 2018. The roster has been totally overhauled since then, and a team that was on the downswing when Machado left is now on the cusp of a dynasty.
That's what Machado thought he was getting when he joined the Padres, who later acquired Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts, among others. San Diego missed the playoffs in 2023, however, while the Orioles won 101 games and the AL East.
Machado is only 31, so there's still plenty of time for him to win a championship. He may end up with some regrets, however, if Baltimore wins one without him.
