As Machado's time as an Oriole ends, a new phase begins

So it appears the day has finally arrived when Manny Machado is no longer an Oriole. It will be a day filled with a lot of emotions for Orioles fans. Some will be angry the team could not keep such a talent, others will be sad to lose him. Some fans may wish him well but at the same time be excited about the young talent the team acquired for Machado. The rebuilding of the Orioles has begun.

The Orioles acquired five prospects from the Dodgers for about 10 weeks of Machado, a pending free agent who will earn about $6.3 million for the remainder of the season. The package is headlined by outfielder Yusniel Díaz, and also includes right-handers Dean Kremer and Zach Pop, plus third baseman Rylan Bannon and second baseman Breyvic Valera. Of the five, only switch-hitting Valera has seen action in the majors, spending 25 games with the Cardinals and Dodgers over the past two seasons and hitting .154 in 45 games.

While the Orioles have seen plenty of high draft picks not realize their potential over many years, Machado was not one of them. He lived up to the hype that began the day the club drafted him No. 3 overall in 2010. From the day he arrived in the majors in August 2012 to play third bas, to the player that had a big year in 2015 after operations on both knees to the player now having his best season yet.

As he heads to the Dodgers, Machado is batting .315/.387/.575 with an OPS of .963. All would be career bests. No doubt he's going to have some special days for his new team while possibly getting to experience the playoffs for the third time.

Machado is to going to cash big in free agency this winter. At the same time that he has had this big year on offense, he showed an abundance of maturity in how he handled the constant interviews and speculation in recent weeks. He's been a real pro.

Two former Orioles that have been mentors and leaders for Machado told me this week in Washington they noticed.

Nelson Cruz said: "He's been dealing with this pretty good. He's put up numbers like expected. He's been a professional in dealing with the media and all the distractions. We talk about twice a week and keep in touch. I'm really proud the way he's handled everything."

Nick Markakis said: "He is one guy that came up and really didn't struggle. He figured it out and he is showing it now. He got better and better. I'm happy for him. Whatever his future holds, whether with Baltimore or anyone else, they will be lucky to get him."

The Orioles' effort to sign Machado to a long-term deal, which occurred early in his career, never got finalized and now they had no choice but to trade him. It is in the realm of possibility they could re-sign him as a free agent, but that seems to be the most extreme longshot. If Machado is ever back at Camden Yards, it's almost certainly going to be as a visiting player.

For the Orioles, the turnover of the roster has started. This should be just the beginning. Others will likely be traded and maybe sooner than later. The club should also consider trading players under team control beyond 2018. No untouchables when a team has fallen this far.

It's time to change how they build teams in Baltimore. Time to put a greater priority on speed, defense and contact ability over power. Time to bring in high-energy players who lead in how they aggressively play the game. Time for change. Some big changes are needed. Building with young players could be fun to watch and a large amount of patience will be needed from a fan base that roots for a losing team again. It's the job of the front office to keep this from being another 14 years of losing.

In getting outfielder Yusniel Díaz, the Orioles added the No. 47 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America, which today released a new top 100 list. Díaz becomes the Orioles' highest-rated player and gives them three in the top 100 with Austin Hays at No. 65 and Ryan Mountcastle No. 66. DL Hall is knocking on the top 100 door. Some of their 2018 draftees soon could be.

From Havana, Cuba, the 21-year-old Díaz is batting .314/.428/.477 in Double-A with 10 doubles, four triples, six homers and 30 RBIs in 59 games for Tulsa. He has an OPS of .905 both versus lefty and righty pitching. He has spent this year batting mostly third and fourth, and has played all three outfield positions, but has been mostly in center field over the last month. While Díaz is rated a better hitter for average than power right now, he hit two game-tying homers for the World Team on Sunday in the All-Star Futures Game when he went 2-for-5.

Per Baseball America, Díaz "has excellent contact ability and produces excellent exit velocities. He tends to drive the ball on a line from gap to gap rather than in the air, limiting his power production. Diaz expands the zone at times but is improving. He is an average runner but above-average underway on the basepaths and in the outfield."

Díaz has walked 41 times with 39 strikeouts this season, an excellent ratio - and a big improvement from last year, when drew 45 walks and fanned 102 times.

The Orioles added some prospects today and more are on the way. For fans that love acquiring young talent, this may actually be a good day. It won't be for all Orioles fans, of course.

But this is clear - a new phase of Orioles baseball is here.