San Diego Orioles? Maryland Padres? Baltimore fans find refuge in NL team

SAN DIEGO Growing up in Ocean City, one of the most formative memories of Chase Richardsons baseball fandom was getting a young Manny Machados autograph at a Delmarva Shorebirds game.Richardson was about 9 years old in 2011 during Machados short stint with the Orioles affiliate in Salisbury.

Machado was only 18 years old, but there was already significant hype surrounding the prospect as the future of the Orioles.What can you not love about Manny? Richardson, now 22, said during a phone interview.Machados days as an Orioles superstar are long gone.

Fans like Richardson have (mostly) moved on from the pain of the Orioles not keeping Machado in Baltimore long term and trading him to the Dodgers at the 2018 deadline.

But those same fans still find themselves rooting for Machado, now on the Padres, and this trade deadline gave them even more reason to cheer for a National League team nearly 3,000 miles away.The Orioles season probably ended in May when the club dropped to 18 games below .500 one week after firing manager Brandon Hyde.

But the day any hopes of making the playoffs ended was the trade deadline when the front office initiated a fire sale, dealing nine players for a haul of prospects.

The most significant trade was the one that sent fan favorites Ryan OHearn and Ramon Laureano to the Padres for six prospects.Shortly after the trade, Baltimore fans online noticed the large contingent of former Orioles players on the Padres.

Of course, Machado, OHearn and Laureano are the big ones, but shortstop Jose Iglesias, who played during the rebuild era, and left-hander Nestor Cortes, a Rule 5 draft pick who briefly played for the Buck Showalter-era Orioles, are also on the Padres.

Mondays lineup contained four ex-Orioles, the most for any of Baltimores opponents this century.

The connections dont end there, though.

Maryland natives Gavin Sheets (Gilman), whose father, Larry, played for the Orioles in the 1980s, and Jackson Merrill (Severna Park) are also on the Padres.As a result, some Orioles fans still licking their wounds from a deflating season and yearning for a playoff team have temporarily found refuge in the Padres, one of the NLs top World Series contenders.

Allegiances arent changing, but as the Padres and their former Orioles players make a push for a championship, these Baltimore fans will be hoping they get there.Its like, am I rooting for the Padres this series? Absolutely not, said Zach Bollinger about the Orioles series in San Diego this week.

But come October, I hope these guys win so they get to experience it.

...

They showed up to the ballpark with some pretty crappy situations in Baltimore sometimes and did everything they could for the team, for the city.

Thats why I really am pulling for them.Bollinger, 25, is a lifelong Orioles fan.

He attended his first opening day when he was 3 months old.

Since the trade deadline, hes been following the Padres to keep up on how OHearn and Laureano, the Orioles two best hitters in the first half of the season, are doing, and theyve both come up clutch in multiple moments.Laureano was an integral part of the Orioles lineup this season and a leader in the clubhouse, but 2025 was his only season in Baltimore.

OHearn, meanwhile, was a staple of the post-rebuild Orioles and a key cog in their playoff campaigns in 2023 and 2024.

He is the former Oriole that Baltimore fans like Bollinger are rooting for the hardest.Ryan OHearn is the reason that you watch sports, said Bollinger, a member of the Ryan Ripken Show on YouTube.

A guy who just had to fight and scratch and claw for absolutely everything.

Those are the guys you root for in these sports.

Thats who you want to win.

Theres no doubt in my mind that if he gets an opportunity in the postseason to make his presence felt, that hes going to come through.

He deserves every bit of glory he gets for it when it happens.Ryan OHearn, Ramon Laureano reflect on time with Orioles, trade to PadresJordan Monk, of Salisbury, compared OHearn to the many undrafted free agents that have made the Ravens roster and become important players over the years.Ryan OHearn was nobody.

His career was over, Monk said.

I just think the Baltimore area and the state of Maryland loves that.

They love the underdog story.OHearn frequently said during his time in Baltimore that he appreciated the love from Orioles fans, and that hasnt changed now that hes in San Diego.I got a lot of love for Orioles fans and Birdland, he said Monday while wearing Padres gear in his new clubhouse at Petco Park.

I didnt get drafted by the Os, but I feel I was one of the main guys, and especially this season.

I owe a lot of that to the Orioles fans kind of adopting me.

...

So grateful that they still watch and they still care.The Padres' Ramon Laureano, right, celebrates with Ryan O'Hearn after hitting a two-run home run in August.

The two former Orioles are enjoying life in San Diego, and some Baltimore fans are keeping close tabs on their success.

(Godofredo A.

Vasquez/AP)Monk, 35, is also a lifelong Orioles fan.

Unfortunately, he quipped.

Hes been alive for only seven playoff appearances.

After the trade, he put out a poll on X to ask fans what they should name the Padres for whom theyre rooting.

His options? The San Diego Orioles or the Baltimore Padres.

The former won, and Monk, Bollinger and Richardson all agree.Monk, like Richardson, first saw Machado play during his time with the Shorebirds, including the South Atlantic League All-Star Game that was hosted by Delmarva and featured a young Machado and Bryce Harper.

After Machado was traded, Monk bought a Dodgers hat to show his support for one of his favorite players.Its been more than seven years since that trade, and the fact that Machado wont be remembered as an Oriole or go into the Hall of Fame as one disappoints fans like Monk.Hell always be known as a Padre, unfortunately, said Monk, who co-hosts a podcast about Terps sports.

But well always have those six or seven years with Manny Machado as a Baltimore Oriole.It was pretty clear from the moment he stepped on the field that this is a future Hall of Famer, Bollinger said.

This is a guy who will be remembered, you thought, as an Oriole up there with Cal, with Brooks, with Eddie.

You felt like it was destined for that.

Then as the years went on, you kind of got the feeling that wasnt the case.

You start to realize the business part of it.No matter what, I will always cheer for Manny.San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado speaks with reporters ahead of the 2025 All-Star Game.

The former Orioles slugger has been one of the best players in baseball over the past decade.

(Matt Weyrich/Staff)The San Diego Orioles fandom points to a fascinating aspect of the Baltimore fans psychology.

Yankees fans, for example, rarely root for their former players when they go elsewhere.

Why are Baltimore fans so enthusiastic about doing so?For a while, there was no expectation of them winning here, so it was nice to see guys succeed elsewhere, Bollinger said.

I think this city and this fan base truly appreciate when guys go out there and just go for it and put everything into it.I feel like Baltimore sports in general has a lot of heart, Richardson said.

You can look at it in football, too.

Everyone still roots for Joe Flacco.

Hes on the Cleveland Browns.

Were in the same division.Monk said theres little choice for Orioles fans other than to root for these players since the franchise has so infrequently kept their stars in town this century, from Mike Mussina to Machado.Its kind of like were the minor league system for the major league system, Monk said.

Youre going to see Gunnar Henderson go off to the Phillies.

Youre going to see Adley Rutschman go home to Seattle or somewhere else.

Its unfortunate.

Were just used to watching the stars fly away.There is a jealous aspect of cheering for the Padres, though.Related ArticlesWith baby girl in stands, Tyler Wells leads Orioles to 6-2 win over PadresOrioles activate Jorge Mateo off IL as club auditions utility candidatesOrioles minor league report: Vance Honeycutt not hiding from rough startJosh Tolentino: Does fan loyalty matter? Orioles are testing their luck.

| COMMENTARYOrioles bullpen outpitches Padres in 4-3 win: Due for a good oneDespite residing in a similar-sized market as Baltimore, the Padres have among the best attendance in Major League Baseball a product of a competitive team, significant investment from ownership and being the only show in town.

The front office is also run by A.J.

Preller, an executive known for pushing his chips to the middle of the table, as he did at this deadline in acquiring OHearn, Laureano and others.I think there is a connection between, Hey, the Padres go for it, Bollinger said.

A.J.

Preller, say what you want about him ...

but you never question if hes going to try to put the best team possible on the field at that very moment.

I think fans respect that.However, theres still hope that Orioles fans in 2026 wont have to adopt a team on the West Coast as the postseason approaches.

Payroll increased in 2025 under new owner David Rubenstein, and plenty of money is coming off the books this offseason.The opportunity is there for Rubenstein and general manager Mike Elias to be a big spender this winter, which fans like Richardson expected when the private equity billionaire purchased the club from the Angelos family.

Until then, though, fans will have to stay up late to watch the San Diego Orioles.Well see what happens, Richardson said.

We just have to live that pipe dream through the Padres right now.Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer..

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