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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Columns:  Inside the CBA: Altered rules for expanded rosters in September being examined The Sun 10/26  Orioles' named American League Comeback Player of the Year The Sun 10/25  Inside the CBA: Orioles would benefit from international draft, but proposal has obstacles The Sun 10/25  Orioles' Trumbo honored by Sporting News MLB.com 10/25  Early thoughts on MASNsports.com 10/26  Trumbo receives AL award from Sporting News MASNsports.com 10/25  Are the Orioles looking at an active winter? MASNsports.com 10/26  MLB Rumor Central: How does fit in Orioles' lineup? ESPN.com 10/25  The Orioles Need To Sign To An Extension CSN Mid-Atlantic 10/26  Big Home Season Earns Comeback Player Award For Trumbo CSN Mid-Atlantic 10/25  Mark Trumbo Named AL Comeback Player Of The Year CBS Baltimore 10/25  Myriad O’s Thoughts: Trumbo’s season; Miller ; supremacy BaltimoreBaseball.com 10/26

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-inside-the-cba-orioles-expanded-rosters- 20161025-story.html

Inside the CBA: Altered rules for expanded rosters in September being examined

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun October 26, 2016

With the arguments against expanded rosters getting louder every year, the future of September could change in the next collective bargaining agreement.

It’s not necessarily the most important topic in negotiations between and the players union, but it is definitely a topic on the table as the sides attempt to iron out a new CBA with the current agreement expiring in December.

On Sept. 1, teams can expand their 25-man rosters up to the 40 players on the organizational 40- man roster. While the premise of expanded rosters has its merits, like giving teams the opportunity to give prospects a taste of the big league stage once the minor league season ends, it has created a different strategy component to the final month of the regular season because more players means managers have the ability to match up to a nauseating degree.

When asked about expanded rosters during the American League wild-card game in Toronto earlier this month, commissioner Rob Manfred said amending September rosters might be a good idea.

“September call-ups were a noncontroversial item for many, many years,” Manfred said. “I think the controversy has arisen because of the changes that have taken place in the game and the way the game’s played, particularly the use of so many relievers, so many matchups, has made the presence of the extra players so much more visible.

“I do think it would make sense to get a situation where we played our September games to the rules that we play with the rest of the year. … I don’t think 18 in a game is a good thing.”

Orioles manager has been a major proponent for changing the current system. He often says that the baseball season is divided into four distinct parts – spring training, the regular season from April to August, September baseball and the postseason. This year, he used an early September game against the as an example. On Sept. 2, the Yankees used six pitchers over eight in an 8-0 Orioles win at Camden Yards.

With only 25 players available, having to use that many pitchers would be devastating to a team for the remainder of a three-game series. But since expanded rosters allow teams to stockpile relievers, it doesn’t matter. Showalter argued after that game that that shouldn’t be the way the game is played in September, when playoff spots are on the line. The Orioles needed every one of their 16 September wins to qualify for the postseason.

Showalter has also made his solution well-known. He is an advocate for teams designating 25 eligible players before the beginning of each series with one caveat. If a player is injured, he would be able to be replaced on the team’s roster of eligible players if his injury meets the standards of a doctor designated by MLB.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said that he would like to see teams designate 30 players before every game.

The players union would have to agree to any changes to expanded rosters, and its concern would lie in maintaining that September call-ups still receive valuable service time, which dictate when players reach significant milestone paydays through the arbitration process and ultimately free agency after six years of service time.

Showalter has said repeatedly that that shouldn’t be an issue. He said players should still get their service time in September, but rosters in the regular season’s final month should be consistent with the rest of the season.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-mark-trumbo-named-sporting- news-american-league-comeback-player-of-the-year-20161025-story.html

Orioles' Mark Trumbo named Sporting News American League Comeback Player of the Year

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun October 25, 2016

The best season of Mark Trumbo’s major league career netted the Orioles this year’s Sporting News American League Comeback Player of the Year, the publication announced Tuesday.

Trumbo, who was acquired last offseason in a trade with the for backup Steve Clevenger, led the majors with a career-high 47 homers. His season also included his second trip to the All-Star Game and the Derby, and ended with playing in the postseason for the first time in his career.

Trumbo, a pending free agent, was selected in a vote of 174 American League players, edging outfielder Ian Desmond by just one vote, 40-39. right- hander finished third with 28 votes, while Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano and Rangers right-hander tied for fourth with 13 votes each.

Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman, who posted a team-high 16 wins this season, received four votes for the award, placing seventh.

Trumbo is the third Orioles player to receive the award, which has been given out by Sporting News annually since 1965. won the award in 1966, when he .287/.372/.532 with 34 homers and 109 RBIs in the Orioles’ first World Series title season. Right-hander won in 1992 at age 36 after going 16-15 with a 4.47 ERA in 237 1/3 innings.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-inside-the-cba-orioles-would-benefit-from- international-draft-but-proposal-has-its-obstacles-20161025-story.html

Inside the CBA: Orioles would benefit from international draft, but proposal has obstacles

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun October 25, 2016

The implementation of an international draft is one of the most interesting – and complex – items being discussed as a new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated.

When the current CBA, which expires in December, went into effect before the 2012 season, international bonus pools were created in an effort to dissuade big-market teams from spending incredible amounts of money in the international market. The system was designed to level the playing field because teams that went over their bonus pool limit had to pay a 100 percent tax on their spending.

But the system didn’t do much to curb the spending, especially as an increase in talented and highly desired Cuban players entered the international free-agent market. Several teams were more than willing to spend over their limits as well as take on the added taxes.

An international draft would be another attempt to level the playing field when it comes to acquiring talent outside the United States and Puerto Rico. According to an ESPN report, Major League Baseball is proposing creating a 10-round international draft that would take place over two days in March starting in 2018. Currently, international players can be signed as young as 16 years old, but by 2021 the minimum age to be drafted would increase to 18.

Bonuses in the new international draft would reportedly be similar to the draft bonus slots in the current amateur draft, with the highest picks receiving the top bonus slots.

For the Orioles, who ranked last among MLB’s 30 teams in international spending this past signing season, an international draft would create more parity but would force the organization to make an added financial investment in the international market.

However, unlike the amateur draft, where unsigned players have opportunities to return to college, that’s not the case for international players if they choose to go unsigned. They would be forced to wait a year to be drafted again.

But given how many teams have exceeded their international bonus pools since 2012 – reported it was 18 teams and is a mix of both big-market clubs like the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and as well as low-market clubs like the , and – the current system is definitely in need of adjustments.

In the last international signing period, the Dodgers paid nearly $46 million in penalty tax to sign 13 international players, including a pair of Cuban players who netted bonuses of about $15 million and $6 million.

By comparison, the $800,000 bonus the Orioles gave to Cuban outfielder Dariel Alvarez three years ago remains the highest bonus they've given to a player under the current international bonus parameters.

The biggest roadblock in implementing an international draft appears to be in the way MLB wants to control the way international players are scouted. According to the ESPN report, international draft prospects would be invited to MLB-operated facilities in the Dominican Republic, where they would develop, train and go to school before becoming eligible for the draft.

That’s much different from the current structure, in which independent handlers train players and negotiate their bonuses, a rogue system that MLB wants to have more control over. That’s probably easier said than done. Trainers in the Dominican have already threatened to hold their players out of an upcoming MLB showcase there to protest the international draft proposal. Even without that pushback, rewiring a system that has been a certain way for years would be difficult.

The players union must agree to MLB’s proposal for the international draft to go into effect. It will be interesting to see how the union’s membership – most of which were products of the amateur draft and saw signing bonuses that were a fraction of the ones given to top internationals players – interpret the proposal. Red Sox infielder Yoan Moncada, currently seen as the game’s top prospect, received a $31.5 million signing bonus last year (Boston paid an equal amount in taxes), while no player in this past June's amateur draft received a signing bonus of more than $6.2 million.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/207114468/mark-trumbo-is-sporting-news-comeback- winner/

Orioles' Trumbo honored by Sporting News Magazine names slugger AL Comeback Player of the Year

By Oliver Macklin / MLB.com October 25, 2016

Baltimore Orioles outfielder and Mark Trumbo has been named Sporting News' American League Comeback Player of the Year.

The 30-year-old led the Major Leagues with 47 home runs while helping the Orioles reach the AL Wild Card game. His 108 RBIs in 2016 topped his total of 64 while playing for the D-backs and Mariners in 2015.

Trumbo narrowly edged the Rangers' Ian Desmond for the award, receiving 40 votes to Desmond's 39.

Trumbo joins Boog Powell (1966) and Rick Sutcliffe ('92) as the only Orioles to ever win the award.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/10/early-thoughts-on-spring-training.html

Early thoughts on spring training

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com October 26, 2016

The release of the spring training schedule this week made me flash back to past players who occupied so much space in this blog and never made it to Baltimore. There seems to be one every year.

I also celebrated how we’re making only one trip to Dunedin while lamenting the upcoming drives to Orlando and Lakeland, but I digress ...

There needs to be an award for whichever player is the big spring tease. Left-hander Jeff Beliveau (pronounced BELL-uh-voh) would have received it this year after signing with the Orioles on Dec. 5, 2015 as an injured free agent.

Beliveau was recovering from April labrum surgery that ended his season with the Rays and made him an easy acquisition for the Orioles. He made his spring debut on March 21 at Twin Lakes Park and the media reported it like Game 7 of the World Series.

OK, that’s an exaggeration. We were busy attending a Grapefruit League game, but it led every notebook and clogged Twitter timelines.

Up to that point, we made daily visits to his locker for shoulder updates while also pressing him for details of his throwing schedule. The first session, off a half mound, only fed the beast.

Beliveau answered every question with tremendous patience and kindness. How many times can a guy respond, ‘Like I said, I don’t know what’s next’ without exploding? We learned that he had a high tolerance.

So what happened to Beliveau? He spent most of the season at -A Frederick, appearing in 27 games before a late promotion to -A Bowie. Though he registered a 2.54 ERA for the season, he never was considered for the major league bullpen, the reports stating that he simply wasn’t ready.

Well, we’ll always have Sarasota.

Beliveau was just the latest on a long list that includes Tsuyoshi Wada, Suk-min Yoon, Justin Duchscherer, Mark Hendrickson (twice), , Pat Neshek, Ryan Drese, Alfredo Aceves, Trayvon Robinson, Francisco Peguero, Jai Miller and Randy Winn. That’s just the tip of the wasted time iceberg.

Eddie Gamboa should be placed in a special category because he spent one day with the Orioles in 2015 without getting into a game. Small return for all the attention given to his conversion to knuckleballer.

I also think there should be a special category for Dexter Fowler, who never made it to the Ed Smith Stadium complex but still occupied way too much of our time and energy.

I’d also push for a special category for an agent who blames the media for the “confusion” despite his client contributing to it by texting an Oriole that he was heading to Sarasota. But again, I digress ...

It’s virtually impossible to list nominations for the 2017 award without the camp roster being set. However, I can start to predict the most repetitive questions.

Chris Tillman will be bombarded with contract negotiation questions if he isn’t re-signed by spring training, just as J.J. Hardy was back in 2014. Tillman is entering his free agent season.

So is Hardy, by the way, if his option doesn’t kick in. Lucky guy. He, too, will be asked about his status.

Manny Machado is under team control through the 2018 season, but the Orioles may re-open extension talks, which will bring the media to his locker in spring training.

Other possibilities include the following:

“So what’s it like to replace ?”

(This one only works if Wieters leaves as a free agent.)

“Do you feel any pressure to replace the major league leader in home runs?”

(This one only works if Mark Trumbo leaves as a free agent.)

“What’s it like to enter camp in the rotation?”

(This one has written all over it.)

“Feel any additional pressure to be perfect after not blowing a last season?”

(Get ready for it, Zach Britton.)

“Disappointed that you didn’t win the Award?”

(This one only works if Britton is denied.)

“Think you’ll get an RBI this season?”

(Sorry, Caleb Joseph. The local beat crew will broach the subject only once, but other media outlets will trickle into camp. Be ready for it.)

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/10/trumbo-receives-al-award-from-sporting- news.html

Trumbo receives AL award from Sporting News

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com October 25, 2016

If Mark Trumbo leaves the Orioles as a free agent, he’ll join a new team as the reigning Sporting News 2016 American League Comeback Player of the Year.

Trumbo, 30, beat out the Rangers’ Ian Desmond by one vote for the award, which has existed since 1965. Orioles starter Chris Tillman finished in seventh place.

Trumbo was selected by a panel of 174 American League players.

They obviously put a lot of stock in leading the majors in home runs, which Trumbo did with 47. He also drove in 108 runs while helping the Orioles secure the second wild card spot.

Trumbo hit a two-run homer in the wild card game to give the Orioles a temporary lead in a 5-2 11- loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre that ended their season.

Trumbo registered a .256/.316/.533 slash line with 27 doubles in 159 games and made his second All-Star team after the Orioles acquired him from the Mariners in December, along with left- hander C.J. Riefenhauser, for backup catcher Steve Clevenger.

The previous season, Trumbo batted a combined .262/.310/.449 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 142 games with the Diamondbacks and Mariners.

Trumbo is the third Oriole to win the award, joining Boog Powell in 1966 and Rick Sutcliffe in 1992.

Trumbo received 40 votes, followed by Desmond with 39, the Red Sox’s Rick Porcello with 28, the Mariners’ Robinson Cano and the Rangers’ Yu Darvish with 13, the Red Sox’s Hanley Ramirez with nine, Tillman with four, the Tigers’ Victor Martinez with three and the Tigers’ with two.

Twenty-three votes are listed as “other.”

Sporting News will reveal its AL and NL All-Star Teams on Wednesday and its Player of the Year on Thursday.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/10/are-the-orioles-looking-at-an-active- winter.html

Are the Orioles looking at an active winter?

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com October 26, 2016

In a preview of the Orioles offseason, MLBTradeRumors.com started a write-up on the club this way yesterday: “With some key position players hitting free agency and a still-unsettled rotation, the Orioles are looking at another busy offseason.”

Is that really true?

With six starters under contract for 2017 and a solid bullpen already on hand, this could be a quiet winter on the pitching front. Plus, the club is set with at least five of the eight spots on the diamond. They could retain Mark Trumbo and/or Matt Wieters. Even if they lose one or both, some or all of their replacements could potentially come in house.

So will it really be that busy of a winter for the Orioles? Check out the story here and leave a comment below on this topic.

The World Series begins: After 103 wins and postseason series victories over the and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Chicago Cubs are favored to win the 2016 World Series. If they do so, it will be their first World Series championship since 1908.

That was heading into Game 1 last night. But Cleveland beat the favored Cubs 6-0 in Game 1. Catcher Roberto Perez homered twice with four RBIs while , and Cody Allen teamed on a seven-hitter with 15 . It was Cleveland’s first World Series win since Game 6 in 1997, making the Tribe now 8-1 this postseason.

The online sportsbook Bovada lists these odds for players to be named the World Series MVP:

Kris Bryant (CHC) - 6/1 (CHC) - 8/1 Andrew Miller (CLE) - 9/1 (CHC) - 9/1 (CHC) - 12/1 Javier Baez (CHC) - 12/1 Dexter Fowler (CHC) - 12/1 (CHC) - 15/1 Corey Kluber (CLE) - 15/1 Addison Russell (CHC) - 16/1 Aroldis Chapman (CHC) - 20/1 (CLE) - 20/1 (CHC) - 20/1 Cody Allen (CLE) - 25/1 Wilson Contreras (CHC) - 25/1 (CHC) - 25/1 Francisco Lindor (CLE) - 25/1 Mike Napoli (CLE) - 25/1 Carlos Santana (CLE) - 25/1 Lonnie Chisenhall (CLE) - 30/1 (CLE) - 33/1 Tyler Naquin (CLE) - 40/1 Roberto Perez (CLE) - 45/1 Jason Heyward (CHC) - 50/1 Jose Ramirez (CLE) - 55/1 Josh Tomlin (CLE) - 55/1 Ryan Merritt (CLE) - 75/1

Minor league injury notes: He has been ranked by Baseball America among the Orioles’ top 30 prospects the last two years. He was No. 9 after the 2014 season and No. 25 after 2015. But outfielder Mike Yastrzemski could fall out of the rankings this winter.

Yastrzemski, who turned 26 in August, began the 2016 season back at Double-A Bowie. In mid- May, he moved up to Triple-A for the first time. In 94 games with Norfolk, he hit .221/.312/.369 with seven homers and 32 RBIs.

Those were modest stats for the grandson of Hall of Famer . But what we didn’t know during the year was that Yastrzemski was hampered by an injury that must have impacted his performance. A few weeks after the season he underwent sports hernia and groin surgery. Orioles director of player development Brian Graham said looking back now, no doubt Yastrzemski played through some pain, although no one is making any excuses here.

“I think Yaz was inconsistent but he still shows you signs of being a really good player. He just needs to put consistent at-bats together and he needs to use the whole field to hit in. He needs to and cut down on his strikeouts,” Graham said.

Playing through an injury is just the latest example of the drive and intensity - what Buck Showalter calls “want to” - Yastrzemski plays with. Now in 2017, he’ll try to get back to putting up some of the numbers he did earlier in his career and get back on a track toward the major leagues.

I mentioned this in Monday’s entry but for those that may have missed it, Parker Bridwell has replaced pitcher Jesus Liranzo in the Arizona Fall League. He joins the roster of the Peoria team that is 10-1-2, easily the best record in the AFL.

Liranzo pitched just once in the AFL before dealing with a back strain that was seen as minor. The 21-year-old Dominican-born right-hander started the 2016 season with Single-A Delmarva and then moved to Bowie, skipping Single-A Frederick. Liranzo, whose can touch 96 and 97 mph, went 1-1 with a 1.87 ERA for the two teams over 27 games. In 53 innings, he allowed just 20 hits with 27 walks and 66 strikeouts.

“It’s nothing serious,” Graham said of Liranzo’s back ailment. “He is 100 percent healthy now. It’s been a long year for Liranzo, longer than he has ever pitched. He’s in Florida right now for a couple of days. He has checked out perfectly fine with our doctors and trainers.

“And it will be good for Bridwell to get in a few innings. He was a taxi squad player (for the Orioles) during (September) instructional league, so he is not far removed from throwing. Just the idea of him getting a few more innings to finish the season will be a plus for him.”

Bridwell went 5-2 with a 3.87 ERA on the farm this year, mostly at Bowie. He got called up to the Orioles briefly and allowed five runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings in August. Limited to 80 innings this season after missing about two months due to a broken rib, going to the AFL will allow Bridwell to add some needed innings. Added to the O’s 40-man roster last November, Bridwell was moved from the Double-A starting rotation to a bullpen role in July and is expected to work out of the bullpen moving forward.

Top 10 chat: Baseball America released its latest top 10 Orioles prospects list on Monday. Yesterday, I hosted a chat at Baseball America for readers talking O’s prospects. You can read the transcript by clicking here and feel free to leave any prospect questions/comments today.

http://insider.espn.com/blog/mlb/rumors/post/_/id/30147/mlb-rumor-central-how-does-trey- mancini-fit-in-orioles-lineup

MLB Rumor Central: How does Trey Mancini fit in Orioles' lineup?

By Alex Tekip / ESPN.com October 25, 2016

Baltimore Orioles prospect Trey Mancini had some big hits for the team in the last month of the season.

But how -- and where -- does he fit in the Orioles' lineup in 2017?

A potential move to the outfield could be an option, writes MASN's Roch Kubatko.

Mancini, 24, is the O's top farmhand at first base, where he's blocked by . Davis signed a seven-year, $161 million dollar extension with the Orioles prior to the 2016 season. He'd be difficult to deal away and isn't likely to switch positions, minus the occasional game at designated hitter, which obviously wouldn't open up an everyday playing opportunity for Mancini.

Kubatko writes that there's been doubts about Mancini's arm should he move to the outfield. He also notes that manager Buck Showalter suggested that Mancini could compete for Mark Trumbo's spot should Trumbo choose to leave the Orioles as a free agent. If Baltimore decides to try Mancini out in the outfield, and he succeeds to some degree, he'd bare many similarities to Trumbo -- a power-hitting, right-handed bat who can play outfield, first base and also DH.

In 14 at-bats for the Orioles in September, Mancini had five RBIs and three home runs, one of which was his first major league hit.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/big-home-run-season-earns-comeback-player- award-trumbo

Big Home Run Season Earns Comeback Player Award For Trumbo

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic October 25, 2016

Mark Trumbo, who led the major leagues in home runs with 47, has been voted the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year by The Sporting News.

Trumbo, who will be a highly coveted free agent, drove in 108 runs and batted .256 in his first— and perhaps only season with the Orioles.

He was obtained from Seattle last December. In 2015, Trumbo hit 22 homers and 64 RBIs with the Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Trumbo beat out former Nationals Ian Desmond, who had a fine year with Texas by one vote, 40-39.

Boston’s Rick Porcello, who is a strong contender for the AL , finished third with 28 votes.

Chris Tillman received four votes.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/orioles-need-sign-chris-tillman-extension

The Orioles Need To Sign Chris Tillman To An Extension

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic October 26, 2016

Two of the most irritating catchphrases around Baltimore sports are “Joe Flacco isn’t an elite quarterback” and “Chris Tillman isn’t an ace.”

I’m not here to opine on Flacco and the Ravens’ difficulties, but I am here to defend Tillman.

Over the last five seasons, Tillman is 65-33, a of .663.

How good is that? ’s lifetime winning percentage was .638, and in his 10 years with the Orioles, ’s was .645.

Tillman, who had an erratic first three seasons with the Orioles, still has a lifetime .600 percentage, in his time here. That trails only Mussina, Palmer, and Dave McNally among pitchers with at least as many wins as Tillman.

He’s climbing up on the Orioles’ all-time lists. With 72 wins, Tillman is 13th in franchise history, just one behind the immortal . With a decent season, Tillman will pass Ponson, and , who each have 79 wins as an Oriole.

To be sure, Tillman’s ERA is much higher than many of those ahead of him, but at 4.13, it’s still far better than Ponson, Erickson and Dennis Martinez.

It’s not far off two other Orioles greats, Scott McGregor (3.99) and (3.89).

Tillman isn’t an Oriole great, but he’s at least an Oriole very good.

As for the ace talk, Tillman won 16 games, tying him with Justin Verlander and Seattle’s for sixth place. Only Rick Porcello (22), J.A. Happ (21), Corey Kluber (18), and Chris Sale (17) had more.

All those pitchers ahead of Tillman on the win list had lower ERAs except for Price, as did Verlander, , who led the American League in ERA (3.00) and .

No one will argue that Tillman is in the class of Verlander, Kluber or for this year, Porcello, but had he not been shut down for three weeks late in the season, he could have gotten some votes for the Cy Young Award.

Tillman completed at least six innings in 17 of his 30 starts, and in his third straight start, left after two perfect innings only because of a lengthy rain delay.

By the Orioles’ 68th game, Tillman had won his 10th game and was a sparkling 10-1 with a 3.11 ERA and seemingly on his way for Cy Young and All-Star Game consideration.

But instead of becoming the Orioles’ first 20-game winner since Boddicker in 1984, Tillman had two bad starts where he allowed 10 runs in 9 2/3 innings, and was passed over for the All-Star Game.

Tillman was a late add for the 2013 game, but didn’t .

Following those starts, Tillman pitched four brilliant games, throwing seven innings each time and allowing a total of four runs and just 14 hits.

While that 14-2 record looked great on July 21, it was obvious his shoulder was bothering him and won just two of his final nine starts.

Overall, a 16-6 record and 3.77 ERA wasn’t bad and earned him the start in the wild-card game.

Tillman’s WAR of 4.1 was the second highest of his career, behind only the 4.4 of 2013, the other time he won 16 games.

Always available at his locker after a game, win or lose, Tillman is admired for never making excuses for his own performance or blaming the offensive shortcomings of his teammates.

A year from now, Tillman will be a free agent, and another year like this one, and he’ll be a highly sought after one, probably out of the Orioles’ price range.

At the Oct. 6 season-ending press conference, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette remarked that he had made two runs at signing Tillman to an extension and that he would try again this offseason.

It will be difficult because the Orioles haven’t signed one of their own pitchers to a five-year contract since Erickson’s five-year $32 extension in 1998.

Tillman is the best Orioles starter since Mussina, who the Orioles famously lost to the New York Yankees. (Mussina signed a six-year, $88.5 million deal in 2000).

It would be in the Orioles’ best interest if they locked Tillman up for the long term because it’s likely a year from now his price will be much higher than it is now.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/10/25/mark-trumbo-named-al-comeback-player-of-the-year/

Mark Trumbo Named AL Comeback Player Of The Year

CBS Baltimore October 25, 2016

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Orioles Mark Trumbo was named Sporting News’ 2016 American League Comeback Player of the Year, as selected by a panel of 174 AL players.

Trumbo led all of major league baseball with 47 home runs and hit a 108 RBI career high as well. He was among the AL leaders in gamesplayed, slugging and total bases while slashing .256/.316/.533.

“He’s an excellent veteran player,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told the Baltimore Sun last month. “I really like what he’s done for our team. He’s got some really good personal qualities that add to the ballclub.”

Trumbo is the third Oriole to win the Sporting News comeback award, following Boog Powell in 1966 and Rick Sutcliffe in 1992. The veteran slugger edged out Rangers outfielder Ian Desmond by just one vote.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/10/26/myriad-os-thoughts-trumbos-season-miller-trade- world-series-supremacy/

Myriad O’s Thoughts: Trumbo’s season; Miller trade; World Series supremacy

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com October 26, 2016

Mark Trumbo had a tremendous 2016 season. He led the majors with a career-best 47 home runs, drove in a career-high 108 runs and was seemingly in the middle of every key Orioles’ rally.

He certainly deserves recognition for that season-long performance, and he received some Monday. Some recognition that I thought was a little odd, however.

Trumbo was awarded The Sporting News’ American League Comeback Player of the Year, beating out Texas’ Ian Desmond by one vote. Trumbo is the third Oriole to win the award (Boog Powell did it in 1966 and Rick Sutcliffe, 1992). This year’s voting was completed by a panel of 174 American League players.

Here’s the rub for me: I’m not really sure what Trumbo had to come back from. He didn’t have a great year in 2015, but it was solid. Heck, it’d be a career year for some. He actually had a higher average last year (.262) than in 2016 (.256). He homered 22 times and drove in 64 runs in 2015 for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners.

Hey, I’m all for Trumbo being heralded nationally for his best offensive season, but I didn’t feel like he had to “come back” from an adequate 2015 campaign. But I don’t get a vote.

As for awards that writers have some say, I wouldn’t be surprised if Trumbo gets some Top 10 votes for AL MVP. But this year’s crop is really impressive – and most of the candidates are elite defenders as well, so that might hurt Trumbo’s chances of being in the Top 10 on ballots.

Trumbo’s chances of returning to Baltimore

It seems like every time a player is a free agent, he tells the local media he wants to return to his current team. And very few do return. Both sides have to want it, and oftentimes clubs don’t value their own players as much as other teams do.

But when Trumbo, a pending free agent, says he really enjoyed his year with the Orioles, I don’t think it’s lip service. This guy immediately fit into the clubhouse and culture, which isn’t easy to do for a veteran player coming to a veteran team.

I think the Orioles’ brass knew it was getting right-handed power that would work well at Camden Yards when he was acquired last December from Seattle, but I don’t think anyone realized how key Trumbo would become within the established group. Several players gravitated toward Trumbo such as Joey Rickard, Hyun Soo Kim and Caleb Joseph, to name a few.

So, yes, he wants to come back (pardon the pun) and the Orioles would love to have him back. If I look in my crystal ball, though, I don’t see it. Because the Orioles will have a payroll beyond $150 million even without re-signing Trumbo, and he is going to get a huge deal (deservedly so).

And I think the Orioles’ brass recognizes a need to diversify the lineup, and so any available free-agent money may go to acquiring an outfielder with a high on-base percentage and the ability to lead off.

It’d be a shame to lose Trumbo, though, because he proved he has value beyond homer-hitting.

Revisiting the Miller trade – briefly

With Cleveland reliever Andrew Miller wowing everyone in the postseason, I’ve received the inevitable correspondence from readers about how the Orioles never should have let him go. Or, the flip side, the Orioles never should have traded promising lefty Eduardo Rodriguez to Boston for three months of Miller in 2014.

I respectfully disagree with both. Because this kind of stuff happens in baseball.

Miller’s a great guy and an awesome pitcher. And the Orioles may not have made the postseason or gotten to the ALCS without him in 2014. So, Rodriguez was a price that had to be paid.

As for not re-signing Miller, well, the Orioles had a dominant lefty closer named Zach Britton, and so they weren’t paying closer money to Miller that offseason (he received a four-year, $36 million deal from the New York Yankees, who traded him to the Indians this July for a boatload of prospects).

In retrospect, we can all say the Orioles should have made Miller the same offer that winter – the truth is the Orioles made him no formal offer at all.

But, at the time, most people were blown away by how much the Yankees gave a non-closer. The Yankees can take those risks, and it panned out wonderfully for them. Most other teams have to be a little more budget-conscious.

No question, Miller is dominant. No question, he made the Orioles better in 2014. And he’d make them better now. But it’s hard for me to hammer the Orioles for what happened in July and December 2014 now that history has unfolded the way it has.

It was viewed as a rental then; that’s what it became. And it served its purpose.

Nothing like the World Series

I’ve always maintained that I am no longer a fan of any baseball team, because I have a job to do and I have to be impartial – or readers will question where I’m coming from. That said, I am like a kid when the World Series starts.

For my money, it’s the best championship in pro sports. Add in that this year’s October Classic features two teams that haven’t won in decades (and then some) and it should be even more exciting. Here’s hoping for seven games.