Last week J.J. Hardy told reporters that the lack of progress in contract negotiations with the Orioles “just makes me curious” and now the impending free agent shortstop has decided to stop talking about the situation publicly.
Hardy informed reporters that he will no longer discuss his contract negotiations, which is a big change because Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com describes him as having “respectfully fielded questions from reporters since spring training.”
According to Hardy he wants to keep from being a distraction and avoid a potential misunderstanding, which suggests the Orioles probably weren’t thrilled with last week’s comments. And the lack of progress on a long-term extension also suggests the Orioles are probably hesitant to lock Hardy up into his mid-30s. He’s in the final season of a three-year, $22.25 million deal at age 31.
