Looking back at the Machado trade and Hays' departure

A normal day at Camden Yards would have led the visiting media to Manny Machado’s locker. He would have been the most interesting story. And eventually, I would have remembered that Connor Norby was making his home debut.

But mostly Manny.

Machado’s arrival in Baltimore, his second in a Padres uniform, is bound to conjure memories of his departure. Rumors surfacing of his pending trade to the Dodgers during the 2018 All-Star game in D.C. For me, a text message from a team official stating that the deal wasn’t done despite reports to the contrary, and he was right.

Machado knew that he was a goner and had a member of the public relations staff summon the beat writers to a private area at Nats Park for goodbyes and a group photo. Away from the other writers who surrounded his locker and got nothing substantial.

I’ll never forget Machado thanking us for understanding that he was “different.” He wasn’t always the easiest player to cover, but he appreciated the relationship that developed.

I enjoyed watching Machado play third base the same way that I did with Roberto Alomar at second. That’s as good as it gets. You couldn’t take your eyes off them.

The opportunity to sign Machado to a long-term extension had passed by 2018. Surgery on both knees pretty much muted any further talks. Former executive Dan Duquette began the teardown by dealing Machado, whose value obviously was higher the previous winter. In return, Duquette received starter Dean Kremer, infielders Rylan Bannon and Breyvic Valera, reliever Zach Pop and outfielder Yusniel Díaz, the jewel of the trade who turned into a bust.

The latest search finds Díaz appearing in 20 games with Triple-A Sacramento in the Giants’ organization and slashing .177/.358/.373. He was placed on the seven-day injured list May 14, transferred to the 60-day IL May 26 and put on the “full-season injured list” on June 14.

The Orioles entertained offers for Machado at the 2017 Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., though some reports made it appear that they were aggressively shopping him. They made it clear that he was obtainable for the right package of prospects, which in itself was newsie.

I wrote back then about the Orioles checking whether the Phillies would part with top pitching prospect Sixto Sánchez. That was a “no.” Pitcher Jack Flaherty and catcher Carson Kelly were targets in the Cardinals’ farm system. Duquette also expressed his interest in the Dodgers’ Alex Verdugo, Will Smith, Gavin Lux and Dustin May. None of them ended up in the Machado deal.

These were some of the names I gathered from a high-ranking official as I was about to enter EPCOT. Literally a few feet away from the gate. I couldn’t screen that call. Drinking around the world – we made it halfway – was put on hold.

The Orioles decided to go for it one more time before the contention window slammed shut, fooled by their ability to stay in the 2017 race until a monumental collapse in September. They signed veteran starters Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb and outfielder Colby Rasmus, who missed over two months with a hip injury and limped away from the team in July, informing manager Buck Showalter in Philadelphia that he was retiring again.

“His reasons, those are his private reasons and I respect them,” Showalter told the media. “There is a lot more to life than baseball. And that is his decision."

The decision to delay the teardown and rebuild set back the organization, but it isn’t easy to concede defeat after making the playoffs in 2012, 2014 and 2016 and staying within sniffing distance for most of ‘17.

Austin Hays made his major league debut as a surprise call-up in September 2017, appeared in 20 games and didn’t return to the Orioles until September 2019. Injuries dogged him, including the ankle, thumb and hamstring before another landing on the expanded roster.

Hays is a prime example of how quickly the game can change for a player. He wanted to sign an extension and retire as an Oriole, a face of the franchise making a large imprint on the community. But his part-time status, based on a slow start that could be blamed on multiple illnesses and a left calf injury, suddenly made a trade seem more appealing. Mike Elias was made aware.

The fact that Hays went to a team with the best record in the National League and not far from Baltimore seemed to work out nicely. But teammates will miss him. And reporters appreciated his role as a go-to guy who also enjoyed a simple chat at his locker, especially about family. He didn’t duck us, even when we wanted to talk about his reduced playing time and horrible slump.

Just a good guy, one of the best to cross our path. And the Orioles got something in return rather than non-tender him over the winter. He wasn’t expected back in 2025 with another year of arbitration eligibility.

Jordan Westburg said it was "super tough" to accept that Hays was leaving.

"I got to spend the better part of a year in The Show right next to him as a locker mate," he said. "Sad to see him go. I think he embodied what we try to be about as an organization and as a team, just gritty, determined, kind of head down, push through whatever's coming his way kind of ballplayer. So yeah, it's sad to see him go."

Heston Kjerstad could be impacted by yesterday’s trade. He might get more starts with Hays gone, even if it’s against a left-hander.

“I haven’t talked to Heston or anyone about that,” said Colton Cowser, who’s already working like a regular. “I think news kind of came in and that didn’t really go through your mind at first. I think that ultimately everyone just wants to play their best ball moving forward and looking to finish the season strong.”

Outfielder Cristian Pache was described as a defensive upgrade, but there’s nothing wrong with Cowser in left, center or right. Cedric Mullins has been a Gold Glove finalist in center. But Pache could serve as a defensive replacement for Kjerstad while getting some starts against left-handers.

A starter and late-inning reliever are crossed off the list, but Elias isn’t putting down his pencil. He could try for more pitching and perhaps a right-handed bat, though the farm system has a big one in Coby Mayo.

If nothing else happens, and I predict that it will, the Orioles didn’t lose a top-10 prospect in Baseball America rankings. MLB Pipeline had Mac Horvath 10^th. The cost for Zach Eflin didn’t seem heavy, and especially with him under team control next season at $18 million.

The Orioles will gladly pay it. They’re taking on a significant amount of salary under new ownership. That’s worth a mention, too.

Players saw Hays leave and might be on edge wondering who’s next, but they also can be enthused over additions that have a chance to influence their postseason run. The deadline can provide a spark, as manager Brandon Hyde saw in Chicago.

“I think that there’s moves that, when you see somebody walk into the clubhouse, that you know is going to impact, be a big help, and guys get excited about that,” Hyde said.

“This is one of those times in the calendar year that I think guys are constantly refreshing Twitter feeds and MLBTradeRumors and wherever else you get your news,” said catcher James McCann. “Now and the Winter Meetings and different times during the offseason, and even not necessarily for here, but just seeing what other teams are doing and who’s going where and what new lineups are going to look like and whatever it may be.

“It’s fun for the baseball fan and each player. I don’t think there’s anyone in this clubhouse who doesn’t enjoy the game and doesn’t enjoy keeping up with things. It’s also exciting to know what potentials there are for helping to bolster our run to the postseason and beyond.”