According to one MLB insider, Trey Mancini of the Baltimore Orioles is likely to be dealt at the 2022 MLB trade deadline.
In an article for The Athletic (subscription required), Jim Bowden lists Mancini as one of the top position players who will be available via trade this season at the trade deadline. Bowden says that sources tell him Mancini will decline his side of the mutual option in place for the 2023 campaign, making him a free agent at the end of this season as the Orioles have not offered an extension. If that’s the case, the Baltimore Orioles are likely to trade him in order to try to get something in return for him rather than just letting him walk away when the 2022 season comes to a close.
Which teams could be trade partners for the Baltimore Orioles when it comes to Trey Mancini?
Heading into Friday’s action, the 30-year-old Mancini is slashing .285/.362/.427 with seven homers and 24 RBI. The eighth-round pick of the Orioles in the 2013 MLB draft is also on a one-year, $7.75 million deal. So far this season, Mancini has served as the team’s designated hitter in 34 games and played first base (21 games), right field (seven games), and left field (three games).
According to Bowden, four teams make the most sense for a Mancini trade. Those are the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Rays, each of which could use Mancini’s versatility as a part of their lineup.
Would the Orioles trade Mancini within the division? It seems on the surface unlikely as the cancer survivor is one of the most popular players on the Orioles, a team that is seeing a wave of young talent finally reach the Major League level and give hope for Baltimore to return to battling for postseason contention in the near future.
Despite the hope that Baltimore is turning things around, Bowden’s sources telling him that Mancini will not be in orange and black for it will likely make this trade deadline an emotional one for Orioles fans. However, if the team trades Mancini, Baltimore could well get additional assets that could speed along its turnaround.