Manny Machado unhappy with Orioles’ contract

One of the young phenoms in the game is probably worth more than what he’s getting paid, and he’s not exactly thrilled that that’s the case.

Gold Glove third baseman Manny Machado will earn $519,000 this season along with a $100,000 bonus for his defensive award. The league minimum is $500,000, and Machado’s contract will unceremoniously fall under the category of those that were simply renewed for the upcoming season. The 21-year old plays the game like he’s been at the hot corner for at least five years, but in reality has only a little over a year’s worth of service time, which gives him little say in how much he makes.

Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun says that Machado, while being a key cog in the machine that is the Orioles, is hardly in a unique situation.

"The Orioles could have given Machado a larger raise based on his production, but that is something typically not done with players in his situation. Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis all went through similar scenarios before they reached their arbitration years."

Machado said that he would love to stay in Baltimore for the rest of his career, but said he does want to be treated fairly. Machado hit .283 with 14 homers, 71 RBIs, and 51 doubles, a figure which led the league. His season ended a few games shorter than anticipated after dislocating his knee in a game against Tampa Bay, which resulted in surgery.

In the humble opinion of this sports writer, Machado’s frustration could stem from the multiple contract extensions doled out to the young members of the Atlanta Braves organization, along with the $1 million dollar contract the Angels gave to pre-arbitration eligible Mike Trout.