A couple of franchise faces could be on the move

One of the effects of this shrinking middle class in baseball is that teams know much earlier than ever whether or not they will be buying or selling at the trade deadline. For many teams, that decision is made in the offseason and what happens after the games start doesn’t really matter. Take the Rays, for example, as they were only three games below .500 when they sent Alex Colomé and Denard Span to Seattle in a clear sell move. That doesn’t seem like something that would have happened even a few years ago. Since then, Kelvin Herrera has also been dealt from Kansas City. The point is, teams know earlier what path they’ll take, and that leads to more trades earlier in the year. It also means that we have more trade rumors earlier in the season. We’re starting to hear whispers about possible trade targets now, and among them are two of the most prominent franchise faces in the game.

We’ll start with the Orioles, who actually came into the season hoping to contend. Many of us saw that as a long shot, but they’ve been even worse than most imagined and are perhaps the clearest seller on the entire market. Manny Machado is the number one trade piece of the summer, but he’s not the only position player being shopped by Baltimore. They also have Adam Jones, who has been the face of the Orioles for over a decade. The outfielder can decide his own fate thanks to his 10/5 rights, but it seems as if Baltimore would like to deal him. Putting aside where his game is at at this point in his career, Jones is one of those players that will be weird to see in a different uniform.

Adrian Beltre, meanwhile, is not quite on the same level of Jones in terms of his connection with the franchise. Jones has essentially spent every notable year of his career in Baltimore, while Beltre has moved all along the league. However, he’s settled in with the Rangers in the latter part of his career and it is likely the franchise with whom he’ll be most associated when he eventually makes the Hall of Fame. It seemed from the outside that he’d never be a trade piece regardless of how bad things got on Texas. Instead, he’s on the trade block as well. The Rangers and Orioles are not necessarily doing things wrong or poorly and trading these types of players is likely for the best in the long-term. The takeaway, however, is that nothing you love is forever. Eat at Arbys.