Manny Machado is expected to attend the Baltimore Orioles’ upcoming Fan Fest event despite being the subject of trade rumors this offseason.
During Major League Baseball’s winter meetings, one of the biggest topics of discussion was the Orioles reportedly shopping Machado, who prefers a move to shortstop. After not receiving an enticing enough offer, Baltimore threatened to pull their star off the trade market.
Despite continued interest from some MLB teams, Machado remains a member of the Orioles and is set to attend the team’s Fan Fest event later this month.
#orioles announce players/autograph stations for FanFest on Jan. 27. Machado will be there. No Zach Britton (Achilles surgery). Chris Davis not listed cause awaiting birth of twin daughters, but could be added. Autograph vouchers on sale Wednesday at 10 am.
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) January 17, 2018
Several MLB teams hold fan fest events prior to the beginning of spring training as a way to give back to fans and drum up interest before the upcoming season.
The atmosphere at the Orioles’ event should be interesting (and potentially awkward) as it will likely be the last one for Machado in Baltimore. While it is possible he could be with the team to begin the season, there is always the chance Machado could be traded during the season. He has also made his intentions to test the free agent market next offseason pretty clear, so Fan Fest could be an opportunity for fans to say goodbye to a player who has become extremely popular around Baltimore.
