Orioles Rumor Round Up

And the first big signing of the Major League offseason is….Marlon Byrd? Not exactly a huge splash but the 36 year old outfielder signed with the Phillies for 2 years, $16 million this week. Some speculated that the Orioles were interested in Byrd to help in left field and DH but talks never amounted to much. However, Baltimore seems to be one of the teams being mentioned in a lot of headlines during the early part of the offseason. Here are five of the newest rumors being whispered today:

IKE DAVIS (1B New York Mets)

Courtesy: NY Daily News

Count me as one of the confused on this one. It was first reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. He named the Orioles as well as the Astros, Rays, Brewers, and Rockies as teams that inquired on the left handed swinging former Met. The theory must be that whoever picks him up would be buying low as Davis hit a paltry .205 last year with 9 HR and 33 RBI in 103 games. However, I will say that his .205 BA makes is OBP of .326 rather impressive.

It seems that Davis could be used off the bench to spell Chris Davis (no relation) from time to time. He could play some left field though he has struggled there in the past. But perhaps the most intriguing role would be to take some at bats at DH against right handed pitchers, but Davis only hit .222 against righties in 2013.

This actually is a possibility as there aren’t many left handed hitting first basemen out there that can be had at a low cost. Low cost does not equal value though.  Davis has had a tough go of it. The Orioles want to win now and to do that it would be smarter to spend some money. Use it to grab someone like Justin Morneau on a one or two year deal. He is older but hits over .280 against righties and, given his concussion issues, DH was made him.

SCOTT KAZMIR (SP Cleveland Indians)

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported that Kazmir was “high on the Orioles’ list” for free agent starters. And no, you’re not the only one that feels like Kazmir has been around forever. He’s been in the league since 2004, but he only turns 30 this coming January, making him one of the younger starters available. He rebounded from several rough seasons with the Angels by signing a minor league deal with Cleveland last year.  The lefty made 29 starts and pitched to a 4.04 ERA. Being a southpaw amp up his value a bit and he is looking to get a two year deal in the area of $16 million.

Something doesn’t feel right about this for the O’s. Kazmir was decent in the AL Central. However, that is a light hitting division with big ballparks. The East has bandboxes like Camden Yards and Fenway, not good for a pitcher with a ground ball percentage only hovering around 40%.

It makes more sense for the Orioles to stick with a player like Scott Feldman who may demand about the same contract as Kazmir put has proven recently that he can compete in the East.

MATT WIETERS (C Baltimore Orioles)

Courtesy: Bleacher Report

As many outlets have reported, Wieters and his agent Scott Boras are not interested in an extension at this time. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that Baltimore is willing to make a deal and may pitch him to other clubs this winter. Doing so now would be selling low as Wieters had a down campaign in 2013; hitting .235 with 22 HR and 79 RBI. He nearly nabbed another Gold Glove but lost out to Kansas City’s Salvador Perez. That said, Wieters is only 27 years old, has two seasons of control left, and seems to have one of the best feels for calling a game in baseball.

To anyone who follows the Orioles it’s obvious that the 6’5” catcher is one of manager Buck Showalter’s favorite players. He regularly praises him, referring to him as “Matty.” It would be tough for him to let go but I can see it happening. Baltimore’s number one objective this offseason would be to get some good, controllable pitching. Some teams that may be interested are Texas, Miami, or Philadelphia. I can’t identify the arms but this is a move that the Birds should make if they can find it.

One stipulation is that they must find a replacement for Wieters. There isn’t one on the roster but the perfect fit may be from their division rival Boston Red Sox. Their catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, is a free agent and would provide similar pop to Wieters. Salty, 28 years old, hit for a higher average, .273 BA, and got on base at a good clip, .338 OBP.  The best part is that he would be cheap(er); ESPN’s Keith Law predicted a four year $40 million. That’s much less than the project $15 million per year Wieters may garner on the open market.

JJ HARDY (SS Baltimore Orioles)

Hardy had himself a stellar campaign in 2013. He hit .263 with 25 HR and 76 RBI on his way to his first Silver Slugger award, played great defense to win his second consecutive Gold Glove Award, and made the All-Star team. Yet he finds himself in trade discussions with the St. Louis Cardinals. The rumored deal would send Hardy to the Cards in return for 23 year old righty, Shelby Miller.

Miller is coming off a sterling rookie year where he went 15-9 and posted a 3.06 ERA for the NL Champion Cardinals. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, St. Louis turned down Baltimore when they offered Hardy for Miller. I’m not so sure if that’s exactly what went down. I know they need pitching in Charm City but who is going to play the left side of the infield? Young stud Manny Machado is out for the first few weeks and without Hardy they may open up with Ryan Flaherty and Danny Valencia over there. It was likely preliminary talks; no formal offers made. Hardy and Miller may have been mentioned; as well as Dylan Bundy and Yadier Molina. It doesn’t mean much.

Winning ball clubs tend to be strong up the middle. Gold Glove, hard hitting shortstops are not easy to come by. Teams keep them when they get them. Rather than trade Hardy the Orioles should extend him two years. He is a key cog in their engine and one that will still be wearing black and orange come April.

TIM HUDSON (SP Atlanta Braves)

It is known that Baltimore doesn’t give big, long contracts to pitchers. MASN Sports Roch Kubatko has reported that this may lead to their interest in righty Tim Hudson. The 38 year old is coming off ankle surgery and according to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan is looking for a two year deal worth $24 million. The process on him looks to be a slow one as he just had pins removed from his ankle and teams will wait to see how he recovers.

Prior to the injury Hudson was playing well; a sub-4.00 ERA with an 8-7 record. He has always been known as a gamer that stays in great shape. That, plus his low price point, should bode well for him and he will find a job somewhere.
To me, this would be a late offseason signing for Baltimore. However, they likely want a pitcher without an injury problem that can eat innings. Hudson has seen his inning count go down 4 consecutive seasons.  Some are projecting Bronson Arroyo at the same salary as Hudson. Arroyo is a year younger and consistently tops 200 innings. The last time he had less than 199 innings was 2004. Provided Baltimore doesn’t find a trade where they receive young, major league ready arms Arroyo may be their main target.