Machado has green light to move over to shortstop if needed

Once the ink dried on J.J. Hardy's three-year contract extension on Oct. 10, the talk of possibly moving Manny Machado from third base to shortstop on a regular basis was silenced. The Orioles didn't give Hardy $40 million so he could change positions. He's the shortstop. While there's no disputing Hardy's placement in the infield, what happens if he's lost to injury for an extended period? For the first time, Orioles manager Buck Showalter is willing to move Machado to short. Showalter had been hesitant, for a variety of reasons, to remove Machado from the hot corner and return him to his natural position. "First of all, as a young player you don't want to do that to him. You don't want to yo-yo him back and forth. But he's graduated from that now, so to speak," Showalter said. "Somebody as talented and good as J.J., it's not like you're going to create a problem by moving Manny. Both are able to do things other than at their natural positions, but we wanted Manny to concentrate on third base. And it's no given that he can play shortstop. The concentration level needed to play shortstop at the major league level, especially the way we ask them to play, is hard. It's not a given." It's easier to find another third baseman than a shortstop, which plays into Showalter's willingness to shift Machado next season. "It's also about other pieces," he said. "Chris Davis can't play shortstop, but he can play third in a pinch. I'll probably play (Steve) Pearce some at third base in spring training and see if he can play there. It's easier to move them over there. No one can play shortstop other than (Ryan) Flaherty. "We'll see what's our best defense. I'm not saying I'm going to do it, but we have more options." The timing may seem odd, considering how Machado has undergone surgery on both knees, which raises concerns about him holding up physically at shortstop. However, Machado had been working out in Sarasota - jogging on an underwater treadmill and progressing toward full baseball activities by the January minicamp - before returning home to prepare for his wedding. "Everything is going fine, but my whole planning in the offseason is I plan not to have (Matt) Wieters and not have Machado on opening day," Showalter said. "I think we have a shot at (them being ready), especially with Manny. And keep in mind that Matt hasn't had any setbacks. Usually you have one that puts you back a little. He's working his (butt) off. This is obviously a big year for him. But I plan like they're not going to be ready on opening day or shortly thereafter. "I expect both of them to be and hope they are, and I think there's a good chance, but you've got to plan like they're not there because if you don't, the what-ifs will catch you by surprise." Showalter already has one what-if covered regarding Hardy. Shameless plug alert: I'm appearing on "Wall to Wall Baseball" today from 11 a.m. to noon on MASN.