Former Orioles standout Trey Mancini hasn’t found another opportunity to play ball since spending spring training with the Marlins last year, but he is working out in hopes of a major league camp invite in the days ahead.
Mancini, who turns 33 in March, last played in a big league regular-season game in 2023 when he was with the Cubs. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound outfielder and first baseman signed a minor league deal with Miami last January but opted out of his deal in late March when he wasn’t going to make the major league roster.
Now, Mancini is looking for one more big league shot.
“I’ve been hitting, working out, hoping that a spring invite happens, so we’ll see,” Mancini said on Glenn Clark Radio Jan. 27. “It’s possible in the next few weeks, but it’s also possible it doesn’t. Whatever happens, I’ve put the work in and I’m ready to go, but if not, then it’s OK, too. I understand I haven’t played since last spring training in a game. I’m hoping something happens, but if not, I’ll be all right.”
Mancini played a lot of tennis and pickleball last year, figuring he was done with baseball. He thought about getting into public speaking and broadcasting, but he can circle back to those possibilities after exhausting all avenues as a ballplayer.
“Last year a lot of the year I thought I was going to be done,” Mancini said. “I was at peace, but there was a part of me that knew I could still play if given the chance. I thought I owed it to myself to go work out. I’m going to be working out anyway. I love hitting, everything like that, so put the work in and you never know what can happen. That’s what I did. I wanted to have no regrets.”
Mancini hit .234/.299/.336 with 16 extra-base hits in 263 plate appearances with the Cubs in 2023, his last major league action. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound outfielder and first baseman was released by the Cubs in the middle of a two-year, $14 million contract that ran through the 2024 season.
Mancini had a brief Triple-A stint with the Reds in August 2023 before getting an opportunity with the Marlins. He hit .257/.333/.371 with two extra-base hits for Miami last spring.
“It was spring training, so it’s always tough to make a team if you’re a non-roster invite,” Mancini said. “I just got off to too slow of a start last spring, but the process and everything was great. I finished really strong. It wasn’t enough to make the team. At that point, I just didn’t get another job offer after that. That happens sometimes. From I guess the end of ’22 and ’23, I didn’t play well. It happens sometimes. It’s very unfortunate. That’s part of being an athlete.”
The Orioles recently hired Mancini’s former teammate Adam Jones as a special adviser to general manager Mike Elias and a community ambassador. Mancini would be open to a role with the club once he retires.
“It would definitely interest me,” Mancini said. “I think no matter what would happen from here on out I’ll always be most well-known as an Oriole, so obviously I’d like to [maintain] a relationship with the organization — which I have no doubt will happen, of course. Baltimore is always a piece of me and my home in a big way. It’s definitely something I would love.”
For more from Mancini, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles