The hot stove is starting to heat up and there have been some early Orioles rumors. The biggest early rumor is that the Orioles are prioritizing the OF. With the return of Mark Trumbo in doubt and Hyun Soo Kim being used more in the platoon role, Baltimore is looking to get better on the corners and they would prefer that player to be a lefty batter.
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The first rumor to discuss is if the Orioles will keep Trumbo. I personally don’t see it but, as I wrote during the season, I believe the ghost of Nelson Cruz is in play here. If he were retained, apparently the Orioles would like him to be the DH. Will Angelos allow the team to spend 15+M a year on him and if he does, is that the player to spend that money on? I say no. I am not interested in Trumbo for anything more than the QO. If he accepts that, which he won’t, that’s fine. Its too much money for him but you can live with it. Other than that, I have zero interest in an extension.
One guy that has been mentioned is Josh Reddick. Reddick is viewed as an average defensive OFer. He will take a walk, has occasional power and could be a good fit in a friendly lefty hitter’s park, OPACY. Personally, while I do agree he is an option, I wouldn’t view him as an option for a 3+-year deal at 12+ million a year. He is abysmal versus lefties, so the Orioles would need to platoon him. Now, that isn’t a big deal but to spend that kind of money on a player, I would like him to be more than a 400-450 at bat guy, especially with the Orioles likely not having much payroll space to do things. If he had exceptional speed or was an excellent defensive OFer, that would be different. Since he’s not, I would pass at that prices currently being suggested. If he were to come in at 2 years, and $20M or less, that’s when I would have interest.
Another name that has been mentioned is Jon Jay. To me, he makes more sense than Reddick. He will probably cost far less money. He is a better defensive player than Reddick, has had recent success vs. lefties and hits for a higher average. Reddick has more power but the Orioles aren’t lacking in the power department, so that doesn’t bother me as much. Not to mention, he allows you to get another bat to platoon with and you probably could have both of those players for less than what Reddick will cost. Reddick is a higher ceiling player and is a few years younger but the difference isn’t great enough for me to go 3/40ish on Reddick.
Jon Heyman mentioned the names Brett Gardner and Ender Inciarte (although, he isn’t directly linking them to the Orioles). Inciarte would interest me a lot. He doesn’t have a lot of power but he had a .351 OBP this year, plays excellent defense and has good speed. He just turned 26 and has a lot of service time left. I am not sure what it would take to get him but that is a player to go after. Personally, I would like to see him added and Jones moved to RF. That would be the best defensive option if the Orioles added Inciarte. Duquette has mentioned adding speed and quickness to the OF, so this is a potential move to watch, again considering the O’s potentially limited payroll flexibility. The Braves could also look for comp picks, international money, etc..in return and we know the Orioles wouldn’t hesitate to give that up. Inciarte checks all the boxes for what the team is looking for.
Another OFer that has been mentioned is Ian Desmond. Desmond, who also could give you insurance for Hardy, is probably going to cost too much. Desmond, who turned 31 in late September, is coming off a very good year in Texas. He made the move from SS to the OF and his defensive numbers were very good. He has always had good power. However, like Trumbo, he isn’t a high average guy and doesn’t walk much. Unlike Trumbo, he plays a good OF and has speed. He is a better fit for what the Orioles and if the costs are going to be similar, he is the better player to go after. Still, I tend to think he will cost too much and the Orioles will pass.
The last OFer I will discuss is Michael Saunders. He is another player that has some value. He had a big first half this past season but really faded in the second half. His defense isn’t that good but he has power and killed the Orioles this year, so I could see the O’s having interest. Again, much like Reddick, for the right price I would have interest but that right price isn’t likely a price that gets him, so I would pass.
Duquette has also mentioned the desire to add catching help. It sounds like Matt Wieters will be parting ways with the team and the Orioles are in the market for help to replace him. With Chance Sisco likely not ready to be a ML catcher, the Orioles will look for a stopgap option to pair with Joseph until Sisco is ready. Jason Castro is a player to watch. He apparently has received three offers from AL teams already. Are the Os one of those teams? Could be. He has a good reputation defensively, will take a walk and give you 30ish extra base hits year. His average will be poor but if he can play good defense and keep the OPS in the 650-700 range, that would be fine. Castro probably gets a 2 year deal and could squeeze out a third. I am not really interested in him for 3 years unless the money isn’t much but for 2 years, I can get on-board.
There is talk the Orioles would like to add a lefty reliever as well. I am very encouraged by the Jed Bradley signing last month and while he was taken off the 40-man roster recently, I still think he could figure prominently into the BP picture this year. That being said, if you want to add a lefty reliever, I would like to see them go get Brett Cecil. Cecil converted to a full time reliever in 2103, has had a solid career as a reliever. His K rate is always above 10, his walk rate has been very good in recent years and prior to this season, and he limited the homers. He misses bats, gets lefties out at a high level and gets a decent amount of ground balls. I wouldn’t have an issue giving him a 3 year deal for $6M or so a year. The Orioles haven’t been connected to him yet but he is from Dunkirk, MD and attended the University of Maryland, so it is a natural fit for many reasons.
Perhaps the biggest thing that the team will do this off-season is replacing the coaches that have left. The Orioles lost former Bullpen Coach Dom Chiti and former Pitching Coach Dave Wallace to the Braves and they announced recently that Rick Peterson, who had been the Director of Pitching Development, will be leaving the organization. Now, we can debate how significant these losses are but I would rather discuss who could be coming in as opposed to who is gone. It sounds to me that Alan Mills will be the replacement for Chiti. A former reliever himself, Mills has been the Pitching Coach in Bowie for the last few years. He knows the organization, he knows many of the players, and he can act as a second Pitching Coach out there. That move seems like an easy one to me. As for the Pitching Coach, the name that has been mentioned the most is former Braves Pitching Coach (and former Oriole) Roger McDowell. While in Atlanta, McDowell has worked with many young arms and experienced a lot of success down there. There is logic in bringing him in. However, the name that really intrigues me is Tim Leveque, who is the Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Cardinals. Now, with the loss of Peterson and the Orioles interviewing Leveque and Texas Minor League Pitching Coordinator, Danny Clark, perhaps those guys are interviewing for Peterson’s old job and not the pitching coach job? Personally, if you can get someone that has had a major say in how to bring along and develop young talent in the minors and that person has been with an organization like the Cardinals, I would jump at the chance. If you add him, I would argue that he would be the most significant addition we make this off-season, no matter who they trade for or sign. I have been saying for years that I think the Orioles need to pluck guys from the best organizations and get them here to run things.
What other rumors will we start to hear about? With the GM meetings coming to an end, the groundwork has been laid for many things. As an Orioles fan, we never try to get our hopes up because the off-season usually ends up a dud but its still fun to discuss and think about.
Rob has interviewed guests from outlets such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, Baseball Prospectus, Athlon, Sporting News, MLB Network, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Info Solutions, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Sports on Earth, Grantland, NFL Network, FanGraphs, Football Outsiders, ProFootballFocus, etc. etc. The Baltimore native lives in Perry Hall with his Wife Lindsay, and two young sons. He has appeared as a guest on 105.7 The Fan, Q1370, and WNST 1570. Co-Host of The Warehouse: https://anchor.fm/the-warehouse Co-Host of Sports Tonight: https://anchor.fm/sports-tonight