The Baltimore Wire
Fansided

Baltimore Orioles: How long can one of the best infields in the league stay together?

By Brian Pinter

Apr 11, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop (6) misplays a popup during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop (6) misplays a popup during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next

The Baltimore Orioles infield defense has been stellar over the years, but how much longer will it stay intact?

The Baltimore Orioles infield has been one of the most stable infields in all of baseball. An infield of Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop, and Chris Davis have been the backbone of the Orioles defense.

In 2016, that backbone infield committed only 38 errors, on their way to finishing with the fewest errors in the American League. The Detroit Tigers were right on their heels with 40.

The Orioles infield has been the talk of the league, but just how much longer will they be able to stick together?

Apr 5, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) high fives teammates after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) high fives teammates after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

Baltimore Orioles’ Manny Machado

The rumors have gone wild discussing Manny’s future with the New York Yankees, going as far as photoshopping him on the back cover of the New York Daily News.

The new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows the Luxury Tax Threshold to increase dramatically over the next five years. By 2020, the threshold will be at $208M.

Any team that eclipses that limit are subject to a 50-60% (of team salary) penalty fee.

Machado is assumed to be preparing for one of the biggest contracts in Major League Baseball history. Which team it will be with though, remains unclear.

The Orioles have Machado for at least this season and next.

Home/Baltimore Orioles