Trey Mancini (L) in Sept. 2021. Sep 28, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Trey Mancini (16) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

One of the more remarkable MLB stories in recent years is that of Trey Mancini. He’s now on the move from the Baltimore Orioles to the Houston Astros as part of a three-team trade (also involving the Tampa Bay Rays) ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline:

Mancini (seen at center above celebrating a home run last September) was originally selected in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Orioles out of the University of Notre Dame. He made his MLB debut for the Orioles in September 2016, and played at the major league level for them through 2019, but then had to miss the entire 2020 season while battling cancer. Mancini returned to their lineup in 2021, though, and was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year in 2021 after hitting 255/.326/.432 that season (and pushing through another cancer scare). He’s put up another solid season this year, hitting .268/.347/.404 through Sunday. Most of his games have come as a designated hitter, but he’s also played first base and in the outfield.

This move sees Mancini go from the 51-51 Orioles (who were, however, just three games out of a wild card playoff berth) to the 67-36 Astros, who are 12 games clear at the top of the AL West. So this certainly enhances the chances he’ll play in the postseason this year. However, the baseball world certainly had mixed reactions to seeing a player so connected to the Orioles sent on to the Astros. Here’s a sampling of that:

And the move seemed tough for Mancini as well:

It is interesting that one of Mancini’s last at-bats for the Orioles was a ridiculous inside-the-park home run Thursday. We’ll see what he does with the Astros.

[Jeff Passan on Twitter;

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.