In a surprising face-off between Manny Machado and Dean Kremer, the winner of the Manny Machado trade has been revealed. The trade, which took place five years ago, has proven to be a matter of nuance when determining the ultimate winner. While the Los Angeles Dodgers reached but lost the World Series after acquiring Machado from the Baltimore Orioles, it is now evident that the Orioles may have come out on top.
Dean Kremer, a right-hander who was not the centerpiece of the trade, has developed into a reliable starter for the Orioles. In their recent match against Machado’s current team, the San Diego Padres, Kremer showed his capabilities despite taking the loss in a 5-2 defeat. Machado, a six-time All-Star, went 0-for-3 against the 27-year-old Kremer. However, the rest of the Padres’ lineup managed to find holes in Kremer’s pitching, scoring three runs off him in the third inning.
Kremer has been consistently delivering quality starts in the second half of the season, boasting a 3.45 ERA in his past eight outings. Even in his two encounters with Machado, Kremer demonstrated his skills by preventing him from making any significant impact on the game.
Although Machado was undoubtedly a valuable player for the Dodgers, the Orioles have reaped more benefits from the trade. The other four prospects that Baltimore acquired in the deal did not amount to much for the team. Meanwhile, Kremer has evolved into a reliable starter, proving his worth on the mound.
In their recent match, Kremer faced a challenging situation twice with two runners on base and one out. In the first encounter, he got Machado to line out to left field, followed by Xander Bogaerts popping out to first. The second showdown in the third inning resulted in a walk and consecutive singles, but Kremer managed to retire both Juan Soto and Machado, with the latter striking out on a cutter. Nonetheless, Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth both singled in runs before Kremer escaped the inning.
Kremer concluded the match by retiring his final 10 batters, including Machado, who flied out to right field. Notably, Machado’s only two outs in play were caught by his former Orioles teammates, Austin Hays and Anthony Santander.
In the seventh inning, Kremer was replaced by Shintaro Fujinami, whose performance was a roller coaster ride. Despite a deep flyout to open the inning, Fujinami gave up a home run to Trent Grisham. He managed to secure a groundout, but a single from Fernando Tatis prompted the Orioles’ manager to bring in left-hander Cionel Pérez to face Juan Soto. However, Tatis took advantage of a wild pickoff throw and stole home, resulting in a sold-out Petco Park erupting in excitement.
Despite the loss, the Baltimore Orioles still maintain a two-game lead in the American League East. It remains to be seen how the Manny Machado trade will continue to play out in the long run, but it is clear that Dean Kremer has emerged as a valuable asset for the Orioles, providing them with more value than Machado did for the Dodgers.
