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The Rundown: Machado Speaks, Manfred Threatens, Opponents Don’t Like Contreras’s Body Language

Random thoughts this morning:

“As a rule, we will not be paying premiums for rentals. We just won’t. It’s hard to build an organization that way.” Theo Epstein said that and I tend to believe he is the most transparent front office executive in sports. A lot writers are trying to find a hidden meaning there but I don’t think one exists. A trade of Machado straight up for Addison Russell would be in Epstein’s wheelhouse. Anything added to that would be the premium. So I think it just depends on what the Orioles want to do because we know what Epstein will do.