Baltimore Orioles: Manny Machado not focused on a long-term deal right now

Baltimore Orioles All-Star third baseman Manny Machado has stated that he would rather be focused on winning now in Baltimore rather than getting a long-term deal with the Orioles done.

Baltimore Orioles All-Star third baseman Manny Machado stated recently to Brittany Ghiroli that “I’d rather win a ring than sign a long-term contract”, via Twitter.

The Baltimore Orioles have yet to engage their young star in extension talks as of yet, but Machado’s expiring contract will no doubt be one of the biggest story lines in Major League Baseball this upcoming season.

Machado has stated that he’d be willing to start talking about a long-term deal when “the time is right”, per The Baltimore Sun’s Dan Connolly.

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The Orioles are going to have some tough decisions to make this season. Along with Machado’s expiring contract is the expiring contract of closer Zach Britton, arguably the best closer in all of baseball right now.

Britton has stated that there is mutual interest in an extension between the clubs, but no negotiations have taken place as of yet, per Brittany Ghiroli.

Both Britton and Machado avoided arbitration this offseason with the Baltimore Orioles. Britton is owed $11.4M this season, and Machado is owed $11.5M.

Machado has made the case for him being one of the best players in all of baseball, especially after his season last year where he hit .294/.343/.533 with 37 HRs, 105 runs and 96 RBIs.

The fact that a player of Machado’s caliber could hit the free agent market at 26 is pretty crazy, and if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Orioles, there will no doubt be a ton of interest in him on the market.

The New York Yankees have most publicly been interested in him and fellow young superstar Bryce Harper, who will also be a free agent after this season.

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If the Orioles want to keep Machado, it will likely require them spending more money than they’ve ever spent on a player. The team has been known to be tight with the purse strings in the past, so for the team to pony up and give a player a ton of money, it’d have to be a special player. Manny Machado is that player.