The Baltimore Orioles have come to terms with Free Agent 1st baseman Derrek Lee.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/2010/12/os_agree_to_terms_with_lee.html

With any player his age (Lee turned 35 in September) there is always concern that this will be the year where he faces steep-decline.  While acknowledging that possibility, Lee is a quality addition to the roster, and makes a lot of sense on a one year deal.

Lee had a monster 2009 season, posting a .972 OPS for the year. In 2010 he battled injuries and had a rough 109 games with the Cubs (.751 OPS) before being traded to Atlanta. The trade corresponded with a return to health, and production (.849 OPS) over his 39 games with the Braves.

If you compare him to someone like Adrian Gonzalez that can carry a lineup, you will be disappointed. If you look at him for what he is, he brings a lot of positives. He is a guy that is very durable (has averaged 148.5 games the last 4 seasons), that will bring some power (career .498 slugging %) to the lineup from the right side.

Additionally, Lee has always been considered a good defensive 1st baseman as well. You also have to love that his addition will not cost the Orioles a compensatory pick in the forthcoming MLB Amateur Draft.

With the addition of Lee, the O’s have significantly upgraded at 1st, SS, and 3rd this off-season.

The O’s everyday lineup could look like:

Roberts 2nd
Markakis RF
Lee 1st
Scott DH
Reynolds 3rd
Wieters C
Jones CF
Reimold / Pie LF
Hardy SS

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

X