Machado won’t let trade talks ruin All-Star fun

WASHINGTON » On the night of the All- Star Game, Manny Machado will proudly represent the Baltimore Orioles, the only team he’s played for in the big leagues.

It just might be his final appearance in an Orioles uniform. With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline looming, it won’t be long before the four-time AL All-Star is dealt from last-place Baltimore to a contender.

Machado was drafted by the Orioles with the third overall pick in 2010 and has been a starter in Baltimore since 2012. His contract expires after this season, and the Orioles don’t have enough money to keep the 26-year-old shortstop and build a decent team around him.

If there was ever any doubt about their intention, the point was hammered home when manager Buck Showalter re- moved Machado in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game against Texas because the field was messy following a rain delay.

“A month ago he wouldn’t have come out of the game,” Showalter said. “We know that. You know it.”

Machado does, too. What he doesn’t know, however, is how it might feel to play for another team.

“The only thing I’ve ever known has been the Orioles organization,” he said Monday. “The drafted me, I came up with them, played with them. So I don’t know anything different.”

Machado wasn’t the only All-Star facing the prospect of switching teams in the next two weeks. Rangers outfielder Shin- Soo Choo and pitchers Jacob deGrom (Mets), J.A. Happ (Blue Jays), Blake Snell (Rays) and Brad Hand (Padres) could be headed to contenders.