After posting a total of 6.4 WAR in his first two seasons, Machado slumped hard enough in 2040 (.228/.303/.367) that he spent time at the club’s Indianapolis AAA affiliate. He’s been with the big club all season so far this year, and the results—.250/.347/.333—are moving in the right direction, but have not yet arrived in the port that either he or the team would like them to fit into. With the arrival of Ricardo Mendoza and Rex Foster, several team insiders wonder whether Machado’s once-promising career might devolve into one that sees him ride the option wire for a few seasons.
At one point the club was reportedly open to trading him, though with the market as flooded as it is with young players, the pickings were apparently slim.
“I didn’t want to go to a meeting after the season was over,” Machado said when asked why he signed the deal. “My dad had a job where he went to meetings all the time, and they just made him angry. Life is too short to be grumpy all the time, right?”
Fans were pleased with the news, and the team was, too.
“Jose’s a great guy to have in the clubhouse,” said veteran Lucas McNeill, who was just happy to have something to talk about other than his wife’s recent commentary. “He’s got one of those off-kilter personalities that isn’t afraid to laugh at anyone, including himself. It’s good to see the team make sure he knows he’s going to make something, though I think the number should have been higher.”