Oriole Post - A Baltimore Orioles Blog
The Baltimore Orioles continue to plug along this offseason making tiny moves that, while solid, divide the fanbase. Some feel that the Orioles are making specific targeted moves, like an engineer replacing a key cog or spring to make a glorious machine operational again; others feel that the team is rearranging the deck charis on the Titanic, on Alderaan and the Death Star is approaching.
The Orioles recently signed journeyman bat Wilson Betemit. Betemit's nine season career has taken him to eight different teams. Betemit resurrected his career last year spending time in Kansas city and Detroit. In almost 100 games and 350 ABs between the two teams he put up a .343 OBP and a .795 OPS. The Orioles are considering him the primary DH going into 2012. Betemit most certainly does not have the power numbers one would expect the DH to have but I don't feel that the Orioles need to worry about power numbers.
According to NBC Sports' Hardball talk, the Orioles' lineup is very intriguing. To them, the Birds have a very realistic chance at having eight players in the starting nine hit 20 or more homers. If that is the case then Betemit's primary job as DH is to maintain his high OBP, which is the one basic offensive statistic in which the Orioles were well-below league average last year.
The Betemit signing is a point to the engineering metaphor I mentioned earlier. This is the type of move that Billy Beane would have made a decade ago. Betemit's contract is for two years, with a third year option at a very affordable $3.25 million. If Betemit's option triggers the whole thing could cost the Orioles six million dollars. This is a good deal.
The Orioles are still linked to free-agent journeyman starter Edwin Jackson. Jackson is supposedly listening to offers from many teams and the Orioles may or may not have made him a specific multi-year offer. The Orioles' rumored offer is for either four guaranteed years or for three and an option. Jackson seems to be deciding between taking the multi-year deal or taking a one-year contract from the Boston Red Sox. For someone like Jackson, who has more frequent flier miles than he has career wins, the thought of a solid multi-year contract must be comforting but that means playing for a team that will most likely be on the short-end of the stick for a long time. On the other hand you could continue your rambling-man ways and play for one year in New York or Boston knowing there is a good chance you could either be traded or dropped after one year yet again.
As we all wait for Jackson to make a choice the Orioles continue to plug along. Joe Strauss, a beat writer for the St. Louis Post Dispatch dropped this cryptic tweet yesterday:
Cards fans may start paying attention to the Baltimore Orioles. #Developing
Twitter is a wonderful tool, but it can also be maddening: see above. There may or may not be a deal in the pre-natal stages between the Orioles and Cardinals. We can sit here and speculate who might be involved, but my guess is Jeremy Guthrie. I have no idea what might be coming back but I would wager that any deal with Guthrie involved would have to bring back some minor league depth and at least one near MLB-ready second baseman. The Cards have a couple older-prospect types shuffling around their infield that could help the Orioles out. Matt Capenter will be 27 years-old this this year and has put up an OBP over .400 in his minor league career. This is just some quick back-of-the-envelope scanning but there are some players that the O's could really make use of in the Cards' organization.
Pitchers and catchers will report to Sarastoa, Florida in just a couple of weeks and you get the feeling that even after that the Orioles' roster may not be totally set. Last week the Orioles held their annual fanfest. While Anthony used his press-pass credentials to get the behind-the-scenes stories I chose to remain out front. Fanfest is a funny event, no matter how troubled the team's situation may be there is always a sense of hope and optimism. Seeing the players smile and sign autographs all day brings back that sense of fun that baseball brings.
The fans that wandered the floor, and the Pratt St. Ale House across the street, all had the same thing to say: "I just don't know". Everyone was looking forward to the season, but with a sense of trepidation that one has when they are up for a performance review at their job.
Yes Prince Fielder is off the market, but it took a contract that could completely erase the City of Detroit's budget deficit and leave a lot of money left over so let that sink in for a minute. Fielder was never coming here and he certainly wasn't going to get a contract anywhere near what the Tigers have shelled out for the slugger. Still, I don't think the 2012 Orioles roster is completely set yet. More moves should be made and I think we will see a trade or two. Will they be gigantic blockbusters? Probably not, still the team keeps plugging along, marching toward opening day. It remains to be seen whether or not this series of small moves and changes off-the-field will result in more wins in 2012 but as Spring approaches one can only hope.
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During the offseason, one the biggest names on the Orioles – Adam Jones – was a target of trade rumors, specifically with the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Jair Jurrjens and infielder Martin Prado.
Baltimore didn’t wind up trading Jones as we all know; however, will he stay with Orioles throughout his career, move to greener pastures, or go to a winner?
Jones’ profile has risen in the game, and he has steadily improved over the past few years. One would think considering the Orioles are mired in a 14-year losing skid, perhaps trading away Jones for young pieces to build on is a prudent move.
Based on what I’ve read, Dan Duquette wants to keep Jones – then again, isn’t ignoring offers for him. I would imagine it would take quite a haul to acquire Jones, and a lot of teams right now won’t give up what it would take.
Another issue is whether Jones would want to stay in Baltimore. Based on what I got from FanFest, it remains to be seen.
From MASNSports.com’s Steve Melewski: Orioles
center fielder Adam Jones
"I knew that question was coming. No one has ever talked to me about it, so I think, rumors are what they are. Leave it at that, nothing more I can say about it," Jones said.
Jones was asked if he was open to discussing a contract extension if the Orioles approach him this winter.
"That's up to them; the ball is in their court. Nothing is up to me. I'm under team control for two years," he said.
(snip)
"I like Baltimore. I've planted some roots here and I like working in the city. If I am fortunate enough to be here a long time, I can build trees from those roots. I'm from California, but that doesn't mean anything about my career. I just live in California," he said.
Jones was asked if he thinks the team will be approaching him about an extension soon.
"I guess we'll see. We've got plenty of time, we've got two years. The next few weeks leading up to spring training, it will be interesting to see how that all turns out," he said.
I would think at the moment, the Orioles are taking their due diligence in whether or not they want to sign Jones to a long-term deal.
A lot of teams are taking an aggressive approach in signing their young stars – and taking a risk, sort of like the Rockies did with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Keep in mind, former GM Andy MacPhail signed Nick Markakis to six-year contract a few years ago.
I have mused about Jones with a few people over the past year and whether he’s stays in Baltimore – or not for the long haul.
Some think he will stay in Baltimore long-term; however, a few also think he will be traded.
Personally, if I were Jones – and cared about winning – I’d wait and go year to year before deciding on my future.
I would think every player in the majors would want to go to a contender, and it does no good for Jones to sign a long-term deal if he feels that the franchise isn’t exactly moving forward.
As well, if you consider his rising stature, he may be better off waiting until free agency.
On the other hand, if he wants the money and long-term financial security at a young age, perhaps he should sign a big deal with the Orioles and get it done with soon.
What do you all think?
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As of today, the Orioles may still be short a slugger in their lineup; however, recently, Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes is now available as a free agent. He has officially established residency in the Dominican Republic and is playing winter ball there.
So far, Cespedes has struggled in the Dominican. According to the Baltimore Sun’s Eduardo A. Encina, he is currently hitting .143, (5-for-35) with one home run, 10 strikeouts and no walks for Aguilas.
That’s not good. Who knows if Cespedes is struggling because of a long layoff, or his batting eye may be suspect.
At this point, if anyone signs him to a long-term contract, who knows what they will be getting. Is he a finished product? Raw? Or perhaps not good as advertised? Is his bio and life in Cuba the truth, or something embellished?
Well, the Orioles still have their eye on him.
From the Baltimore Sun: The Orioles are one of six teams -- along with the Marlins, Cubs, White Sox, Tigers, and Indians -- that Cespedes recently said have shown the most interest in him.
Baltimore is indeed interested. The organization has seen him at least twice, and one trip to the Dominican that included manager Buck Showalter, new executive director of international recruiting Fred Ferreira and international operations director David Stockstill. And anyone who follows the Orioles knows they've revved up their commitment to international scouting.
The race for Cespeses figures to be a competitive one. The Marlins have made it clear they are willing to empty their pockets for Cedpedes. The Tigers, seemingly out of the race for Cespedes after spending $214 million to sign Prince Fielder on Tuesday, reportedly are still interested.
The market value for Cespedes is unclear -- some have said he could command more than Aroldis Chapman's six-year, $30.25 million deal -- but there is some question, mainly focusing on his plate discipline, whether Cespedes is truly major league ready or needs fine tuning in the minors.
Key members of the Baltimore Orioles front office, along with Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette have travelled to the Dominican Republic during the off-season to take a look at Cuban slugger and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
I’d hate to think that the Orioles would travel such a long way to just get a glimpse at a player and not make a move. At this point, I’d like the Orioles to take some risks and perhaps signing a player of Cespedes’ ability despite the price tag.
The Orioles need an impact player on the roster, despite having J.J. Hardy, Mark Reynolds, Adam Jones – who plays Cespedes’ natural position – and Nick Markakis in the outfield.
The Orioles need to make a serious move – perhaps Cespedes is one worth taking.
However, based on what I’ve heard so far, signing this guy to a long-term deal north of a combined $30 million may be a big mistake. I’m all for taking risks, but not going into the unknown.
Also, MLB announced their 100 Top Prospects yesterday, and both Dylan Bundy – the organization’s number one draft pick last year – and shortstop Manny Machado, made the list at number ten, and number six, respectively.
However, there were no other Orioles on the list.
Finally, Camden Chat’s ‘Eat More Esskay’ had a great writeup this week on his experience at FanFest as credentialed media.
A lingering topic at FanFest -- and for much of the off-season -- involved second baseman Brian Roberts.
As we all know, he’s missed much of the past two seasons dealing with post-concussion syndrome issues and other injuries. At this point, one has to ask – will Brian Roberts ever suit up for the Baltimore Orioles again?
Considering that he missed FanFest and not been heard from for much of the winter, who really knows?
There’s nothing he or anyone can do in this situation. I would imagine it is killing Roberts inside.
Everyone appreciates a guy who is as well-rounded as Roberts is on the field and at plate.
Right now, I am thinking that he will not be back to start the season. Also, if Roberts was to come back – would he ever be the same?
I would think if Roberts isn’t healthy enough to come back, Robert Andino would start the season at second. Andino filled in admirably for Roberts and in other slots around the infield; however, he’s not what I would call an everyday guy.
Over the past few years, Brian Roberts has obviously become a lightning rod for a group of fans.
Some people thought Brian Roberts was stealing millions from the Baltimore Orioles for his lack of productivity for the past two years; furthermore, there’s a minority who have accused him of grand larceny despite being out due to injury.
Sadly, considering the history of several players who have had concussions as of late – NHL superstar Sidney Crosby, Ryan Church, Justin Morneau & Jason Bay – Roberts’ outlook may not be all that rosy.
It’s now looking that the extension that Roberts signed years ago while Andy McPhail was at the helm of the Orioles will turn out to be a terrible deal.
Just a shame…
no commentsNow that the Prince Fielder saga is over (and it was very bewildering), where does it leave the Orioles in terms of their lineups? Honestly, I do think the team still needs another bat.
By the way, although Fielder would have definitely helped the Orioles at the plate; however, it would have been a very poor use of resources by the organization. I don’t think he would have aged all that well, considering his body type.
Plus, do you think that the Orioles would want to pay a guy north of $23 million per year? Does it make sense to devote that much of a payroll to one guy? The Detroit Tigers felt the need to, despite being favorites in American League Central already.
The Orioles will not be contending for a championship anytime soon, so it would have little sense to sign him now.
It would have been a fun show to watch, however.
The team needs a lot more than a power-slugging first baseman; quite frankly, the Orioles have more holes to cover, need to work on a deeper bench, and really need to do a better job developing minor league talent.
The local media and professionals who cover the team day by day were definitely right about Fielder, despite what the national writers and some online personalities thought.
Despite the acquisition of Wilson Betemit, I think the Orioles are still lacking in power and also an ability to get on-base.
The Baltimore Sun’s Eduardo Encina in a piece on their website today looked into that issue. It’s kind of startling to realize that Nick Markakis was the only regular with an on-base percentage over .340.
He also notes that, “last season, the Red Sox (.349), Yankees (.343), Rangers (.340) and Tigers (.340) each had team on-base percentages of .340 or higher.”
Ouch.
Obviously, all the teams listed in the previous paragraph were over .500 and contenders in the American League.
The Orioles have their problems, but if they can get their batters to work on plate discipline – not easily fixed – and get players who can get on base with some proficiency, it would go a long way to improving things.
Closer Francisco Cordero – who was targeted by the Orioles – decided to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. He will be a setup man, instead of closing out games.
Also, pitcher Rick VandenHurk was designated for assignment to make room for Betemit.
Finally, Robert Andino signed a one-year deal with the Orioles this morning, avoiding arbitration. I’m curious to see if he starts at second base this year – assuming Roberts is even able to play – or if a utility role is in the cards.
Folks, the Prince Fielder chase is over. Looks like Scott Boras was able to get a big payday for his big slugger from someone -- the Detroit Tigers. So much for him and Baltimore Orioles. That sure was not going to happen.
I'm just surprised everything with him took this long, but in the end, he got paid... big time.
As Boras, whether you love, despise, or friggin hate him ... the man does his job better than anyone. I thought he might be delusional in terms of his client's - Fielder's - interest; however, he knew that someone was going to bite on him, and they did. Boras isn't one of most sought after agents in the business for nothing.
Fielder agreed to a nine-year, $214 million deal with the Tigers.
Wow.
Never figured the Tigers would go after him like that even with the injury to Victor Martinez...
no commentsFrom the good folks at MASN Sports. I do wish they would show more games on TV and more from Spring Training camp.
Ok, so I say that every year.
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MASN Announces Orioles 2012 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule
MASN, the television home of the Baltimore Orioles, has announced its 2012 spring training schedule. The network will televise six Orioles spring training games and all will appear on MASN HD.
The Orioles' March 5 prime time Grapefruit League opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Sarasota, Florida, will kick off MASN's spring training coverage. MASN will broadcast five more games from Ed Smith Stadium, the team's spring training home: March 11 against the Boston Red Sox; March 18 against the New York Yankees; March 23 against the Red Sox; March 24 against the Washington Nationals; and April 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
All afternoon games will be replayed on the same day in prime time on MASN HD.
In the broadcast booth, joining Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer and play-by-play voices Gary Thorne and Jim Hunter, will be Orioles Hall of Fame shortstop Mike Bordick, who will be making his MASN debut as a color analyst.
Fans can also access all the Orioles news from spring training by logging onto Roch Kubatko's "School of Roch" for around-the-clock reports at MASNsports.com.
The complete MASN HD spring training schedule for the Orioles is as follows:
Monday, March 5 at 7 p.m., Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Orioles
Sunday, March 11 at 1 p.m., Boston Red Sox vs. Orioles
Sunday, March 18 at 7 p.m., New York Yankees vs. Orioles
Friday, March 23 at 1 p.m., Boston Red Sox vs. Orioles
Saturday, March 24 at 1 p.m., Washington Nationals vs. Orioles
Sunday, April 1 at 1 p.m., Tampa Bay Rays vs. Orioles
Every available regular season Orioles game, and each "O's Xtra" pregame and postgame show, will be shown in crystal-clear high definition on MASN during the 2012 season. MASN features an all-star talent team and comprehensive online coverage at MASNsports.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jim Cuddihy
jcuddihy@masnsports.com
The Orioles signed Wilson Betemit last night to a two-year deal, with an option for a third one. He’s not the free agent we all expected; however, he’s got some pop in his bat and can play an array of positions in the infield, and some outfield.
I mean, Betemit is a decent major leaguer, but not on the wrong side of 30 – yet – and productive.
He’s now involved in the infield mix when Spring Training rolls around next month; however, it is safe to assume that Betemit is on the roster.
From MASN Sports’ Roch Kubatko: Betemit, 30, is a switch-hitter who's played every infield position
Betemit is a career .269/.336/.448 hitter with 63 homers and 243 RBIs in 1,742 at-bats. He batted a combined .285/.343/.452 with 22 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 46 RBIs in 97 games with the Royals and Tigers last season.
The Orioles would be his seventh team.
Betemit is a career .277/.348/.469 hitter from the left side of the plate, and 246/.299/.385 from the right side.
By adding Betemit to the roster, the Orioles could give him some starts at third while Mark Reynolds serves as the DH or slides over to first base, with Chris Davis being the DH. Then again, executive vice president Dan Duquette could have another move up his sleeve.
It looks like he may be the primary designated hitter for the Orioles and play some infield – that is, unless they get someone else.
On that topic, it’s just amazing that Prince Fielder is still available – really. I was watching the MLB Network last night, and reports are that Fielder is down to four teams – Texas, Washington, yes … Baltimore, and a mystery organization. Who knows what in the world Scott Boras – Fielder’s agent – is doing. I don’t know if they are holding out for a mega-deal, but all the big spenders – the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels --- already have first baseman.
The market for Fielder must either be really limited, or Boras is looking for something that may not exist.
Do I think Fielder is going to play for the Orioles? No, signing him would be a poor use of resources right now and would make a bad team into simply a less bad one; however, at this point, anything is possible.
Then again, Fielder would be good for business for a brief while in Baltimore.
no commentsIf you have the time to take part in MLB's Fan Cave up in New York, there's information below about what it is all about and sign up.
Thanks to Amanda Sarver at the Baltimore Orioles for passing us the press release from MLB...
SEVENTEEN MAJOR LEAGUE ALL-STARS ALREADY CONFIRMED
TO VISIT MLB FAN CAVE IN 2012
Entry Deadline to be a Fan Cave Contestant is Extended to January 31
Seventeen Major League All-Stars have already confirmed to visit the MLB Fan Cave in 2012 to participate in the web series, interact with fans through the Fan Cave’s social media platforms, and meet the contestants who will be watching every game of the 2012 season.
Players who have confirmed are Bronson Arroyo (Reds, P), Jose Bautista (Blue Jays, OF), Jay Bruce (Reds, OF), Tyler Clippard (Nationals, P), Ubaldo Jimenez (Indians, P), Josh Johnson (Marlins, P), Matt Kemp (Dodgers, OF), Evan Longoria (Rays, 3B), David Ortiz (Red Sox, DH), Hunter Pence (Phillies, OF), Brandon Phillips (Reds, 2B), Michael Pineda (Mariners, P), David Price (Rays, P), CC Sabathia (Yankees, P), Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies, SS), reigning American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander (Tigers, P), and Shane Victorino (Phillies, OF). Bautista, Ortiz, Phillips, Price, Sabathia and Victorino all visited the MLB Fan Cave in 2011.
Major League Baseball will select multiple fans to spend nearly every waking moment in the Fan Cave during the 2012 season where they will meet these and other players who visit along with interacting with celebrities, entertainers and musicians.
MLB is accepting entries now at MLBFanCave.com and has moved the deadline back to January 31 to allow fans more time to enter.
As I have mused throughout the winter, I have not been all that impressed with the moves that the Orioles have made in preparation for 2012.
For the most part, I feel the Orioles have gone with ‘value’ in terms of the players they have signed; however, they have started to make inroads with Asian market, signing two arms – Chen and Wada.
During a break in the afternoon, I got a chat to ask Orioles.com beat writer, Brittany Ghiroli about the state of the Orioles in the media area.
Being that Ghiroli has covered the team for a couple of seasons now, and is from Connecticut, I wanted to get her perspective.
More or less, she said that the team is doing the right thing now in terms of rebuilding. In addition, we had a long conversation about the acquisitions that the Orioles have made.
I told her that there were a lot of fans, including myself – to an extent – who have not been impressed with Dan Duquette so far.
While Ghiroli understood the fact many of us lament that fact that no marquee names, or ‘name’ veterans were signed, she mentioned an important point that I perhaps overlooked: the acquisitions didn’t cost the team anything in terms of draft picks or compensation.
Thinking about what Ghiroli said, it’s an important thing to think about. With the state of the Orioles as-is, they need to collect as much talent as possible and hope some of the players pan out.
They are in no real position right now to give away any of their prospects, and if they did – it would be a detriment to the organization, plus their general plans.
Moving on…
I’m amazed yesterday that Orioles fans during the various Q&A forums were not real angry about the lackluster result of the 2011 season and the offseason. I would not describe the fans as being apathetic, but not angry or overly hostile either considering the team has lost for 14 consecutive seasons
Then again, most of the fans who sat through everything on Saturday were the die-hards, knew the reality of the situation, and gave the organization a break – especially since Duquette is really on his second month on the job.
Overall, despite the losing ways of the Orioles, everyone at FanFest – including the players – is eager for the 2012 season to begin.
In the media area, players spoke about how much better shape they are in, and how optimistic they are for the season.
Everyone is ready to put 2011 behind them and move on.
From what I gathered, the young pitchers – specifically, the starters – are very much aware that this may be a make-or-break year for many of them.
They know the Orioles are in transition, and the status quo will not be acceptable, especially with the number of arms in camp. Most – if not all of the young pitchers – know that a spot on the roster isn’t guaranteed when Spring Training opens up down in Florida.
The organization made it a point to replay the final at-bats during the final game of the 2011 season on the large screens where the fan forums were being held. The fans ate it all up and really seemed to enjoy having that moment replayed.
Of course, as we all know, Baltimore’s 162nd game of the season perhaps changed the landscape of baseball that night, as they knocked out the Red Sox from playoff contention and set off a chain of unfortunate events with that organization.
It’s still amazing to think about.
I’ll have the first of many FanFest interviews up later on today, starting with Jason Berken.
Finally, the Ravens are in playing in the AFC Championship this afternoon against the New England Patriots. Out of disclosure, I am not a Ravens fan – I root for the Redskins (poor me); however, I do think they can defeat the Patriots, if they can stop Tom Brady and put pressure on him.
Baltimore’s defense will keep them in the game, but Joe Flacco has to be near perfect to get his team to the Super Bowl.
Prediction: New England 23, Baltimore 17
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