The Baltimore Orioles continue to surprise as they could be over .500 and very likely in fourth place in the American League East as August dawns.
The MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and the question is what should the Baltimore Orioles do with Trey Manicini?
Mancini has been through so much with his cancer recovery and becoming a team leader. He has been there through the good times, but mostly bad times with the Baltimore Orioles. Manicini has been a steady force and he’s also played all over the place, being the team’s designated hitter, first baseman, and a corner outfielder.
His offensive numbers have been solid with 10 home runs an OPS of .761 and a bWAR of 2.0. Mancini has 117 career home runs with an OPS just under .800. Baltimore is all he knows, but is that about to change? He’s a free agent at year’s end, and the Orioles reportedly haven’t reached out to him about an extension. The O’s have been the biggest surprise in MLB. With 61 games left, they are just 3.0 games out the final AL Wild Card spot.
Do the Orioles want to trade Mancini and disrupt this magical season, or do they want to keep him and potentially get nothing for him as he’s likely to leave in the offseason? Are the O’s a legitimate World Series contender? No, but is it possible they could grab a Wild Card spot with a few moves? I think they very well could, but the feeling is that Mancini will get dealt. The New York Mets are heavily in pursuit and Buck Showalter would love a reunion. If this is the end for Mancini in a few days, what a ride it was!
On the other hand, if this run continues, it could become an even bigger story. Mancini sticks around to lead one of the most unlikely playoff appearances of all time. The fans deserve it, the city deserves it, and, most importantly, the team deserves it. Yes, the future is bright in Baltimore, but so is this team right now. There’s a feeling this team has that it’s never out of a game. That is in large part because of Mancini. His presence is everything for a group of young players that’s trying to learn how to win. That’s more valuable than anything they could receive in a trade.
Another reason to keep him is that his trade value isn’t that high. The Orioles may receive one or two minor prospects for him since he’s in a contract year. Hopefully they do the right thing and keep Mancini.