This nearly unbearable winter got a little less manageable over the weekend with news from Florida that Manny Machado may not be ready to play Opening Day.
The Orioles third baseman, who has yet to play an inning during spring training, was thought to be progressing so well from a knee injury late last season, that he might be able to play the 2014 season from day one. But manager Buck Showalter revealed Saturday that Machado hasn’t even started running yet, so a scheduled Tuesday doctor’s appointment was deemed to be moot. Frankly, if you remember the rather gruesome scene of Machado crumpling in a heap after crossing the first base bag in Tampa Bay last September, you’d have to consider the notion that he’s playing this soon nothing short of a miracle.
So, Orioles fans should count their blessings that Machado’s recovery is coming along this quickly. Unfortunately, the bad news surrounding Machado doesn’t stop there.
Before news about his knee slipped out, the irrepressible Machado let it be known that he was "disappointed," about his 2014 contract. And that development is potentially far more ominous for Birds fans than the news about his knee. Machado, who earned 495-thousand dollars last season as well as a 25-thousand dollar bonus for making the American League All-Star team, got a raise to 519-thousand for this season, a 24-thousand dollar raise from 2013, and 19-thousand above the Major League minimum.
Now, before the phone lines light up and the e-mail box gets flooded, I get it. For many people, the idea of paying someone half a million dollars to play baseball, not to mention having said person say he is "disappointed" offends more than a few sensibilities. But that’s not a discussion for this time. Athletes and entertainers live in a different world than we do. In that world, talent is rewarded in the millions of dollars, not the hundreds or thousands that most working people earn. With that premise established, Machado has something of a beef.
He is coming off an impressive season, one in which he not only hit .283 with 14 home runs and 71 RBI, but also won a Gold Glove for his defensive brilliance. At 21 and with only a season and a half of Major League experience, Machado may already be among the top 10 players in all of baseball, or at least is on his way to establishing his presence on such a list. But with less than three years of Major League experience, Machado is at the mercy of the Orioles’ front office. He is not yet eligible for salary arbitration, a process where the two sides submit desired money figures and let an arbitrator sort it out.
So, for now, he has to accept the contract the Orioles offered him. And though it might be smart for the team to attempt to lock Machado up to a long term contract, the club isn’t wrong for doing what they’re doing. They have the leverage and they’re using it.
What the front office and the club’s fans must hope is that Machado’s knee makes a full short term recovery and that his head doesn’t hold a long term grudge.