Contingent on physicals, the Baltimore Orioles have acquired 3rd baseman Mark Reynolds from the Arizona Diamondbacks for David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio.
While I had hoped to avoid trading Hernandez, if you are a fan of the Orioles you have to be happy with this move. I believe Hernandez has a very good chance to be a plus reliever and potential future closer. You still have to trade that potential for an everyday player the caliber of Reynolds.
That does not mean Reynolds comes without risk. This is a guy that has 3 straight seasons with 200+ strikeouts, and is an average defensive player at best. His .198 average in 2010 will get a lot of negative headlines, but pay less attention to that; and more attention to his career OPS (.817).
It is fair to mention his liabilities, but they do not outweigh his positives. He had 56 xbh’s in 2008, 44 homers in 2009, and another 32 homers in 2010. The 27 year-old right-handed hitter is also willing to take a walk (64 in ’08, 76 in ’09, and 83 in ’10). He is signed for 2011, and 2012, which also includes an $11M option for 2013 that can be bought out for $500k.
The Orioles have obtained a very valuable addition, and improved their roster with this move.
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.