Center of attention

Absent Manny Machado the main focus at Orioles FanFest amid talk of his future, position switch with Tim Beckham Yet to discuss contract extension, Jones ponders future with Orioles

dam Jones was in a talkative mood, even though he tried hard to talk around one particular subject. He’s entering the final year of his contract with the Orioles and he’s not alone, but just about every time he was asked about his future with the team during his media session at FanFest on Saturday, he answered pretty much the same way: “Ask Mr. Duquette.”

The rub here is that there have been no substantial discussions about a contract extension or the possibility of Jones finishing his career in Baltimore, where he has been the de facto team captain throughout the club’s recent — and recently interrupted — competitive renaissance.

Jones, 32, has been the face of the Orioles almost since he arrived as a 22-year-old in the huge 2008 trade with the Seattle Mariners that laid

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Most of a sleepy Orioles offseason has centered around Manny Machado, whether he’d be traded this winter and whether he’d be granted his wish to move to shortstop if still on the team in 2018, all while the fan base came to terms with the likelihood that his days in the only major league uniform he’s worn are numbered.

Even during an event the 25-year-old superstar didn’t attend, Machado was the focus of Saturday’s Orioles Fanfest event. Machado missed the offseason’s showcase fan event for the second time in three years for an undisclosed personal reason, one that manager Buck Showalter defended as a legitimate one.

Despite no Machado — who joined second baseman Jonathan Schoop in being dropped from the FanFest roster 24 hours before the event — along with the excused absences of first baseman Chris Davis (his wife Jill gave birth to twins earlier this week) and Zach Britton (recovering from last month’s Achilles tendon surgery), an announced crowd of more than 11,000 still attended the event at the Baltimore Convention Center.

After spending most of the offseason fielding trade offers for Machado, and not receiving an offer suitable to all levels of the organization, the Orioles are prepared to open the season with

KIM HAIRSTON/BALTIMORE SUN Manager Buck Showalter, left, and executive vice president Dan Duquette answer questions from season-ticket holders at the Orioles FanFest at the Baltimore Convention Center.