Tuesday, November 22, 2016
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World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966 American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969 American League Wild Card 2016, 2012, 1996 Tuesday, November 22, 2016 Columns: Orioles' designated hitter, outfield needs could be filled in non-tender market The Sun 11/22 Orioles notes: Hall of Fame ballot features several new O's; minor league slugger signed The Sun 11/21 Duquette: Britton's value in 'pen, not starting MLB.com 11/21 Mora, Rhodes get 1st shot on HOF ballot MLB.com 11/21 Leftovers for breakfast MASNsports.com 11/22 Orioles sign David Washington to minor league deal MASNsports.com 11/21 Guerrero, Mora among newcomers on Hall of Fame ballot MASNsports.com 11/21 In looking at the rotation, are O’s fans hopeful or fearful? MASNsports.com 11/22 MLB Rumor Central: Orioles considering Nick Hundley reunion? ESPN.com 11/21 In An Uncertain Orioles Offseason, One Certainty Exists PressBoxOnline.com 11/21 Dan Duquette: Chris Tillman Extension 'Something We Can Explore Again' PressBoxOnline.com 11/21 Former Orioles Melvin Mora, Arthur Rhodes On Hall of Fame Ballot CBS Baltimore 11/21 Orioles Reach To Host 7th Annual Birdland Golf Classic CBS Baltimore 11/21 Tap-In Question: Which eligible ex-O’s would be on your Hall ballot? BaltimoreBaseball.com 11/22 Wieters suffers forearm cut in household accident; will resume baseball activities by January BaltimoreBaseball.com 11/21 http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-designated-hitter-outfield-needs- could-be-filled-in-non-tender-market-20161122-story.html Orioles' designated hitter, outfield needs could be filled in non-tender market By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun November 22, 2016 Lost in all the hand-wringing about how slugger Mark Trumbo is the new Nelson Cruz, who cashed in on one league-leading season in Baltimore and left Camden Yards in the dust, is that they arrived here in decidedly different ways. Cruz was an Oriole on a one-year free-agent contract, using his time here as a make-good after failing to catch on once he was done in Texas. Trumbo, however, was traded from Seattle in his final year of salary arbitration, with the Orioles taking on $9.15 million in salary. As players build service time, the system ensures them pay bumps that some teams might find too steep. This means they can be traded, as Trumbo was, or released, as Pedro Alvarez was last year by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Either way, it provides a chance to get a player who falls into the market for a lesser annual price than some of the top free agents. As free agency begins, some teams have begun shedding those players already. Others are getting occasion to consider it. Here’s a quick rundown of players who could end up in Baltimore because their arbitration price is simply too steep. All prices below are the MLBTradeRumors arbitration projections. Nori Aoki ($6.8 million) – Aoki was waived by the Mariners at the end of the season and caught on with the Houston Astros, but now that they’ve signed Josh Reddick and will have catchers Brian McCann and Evan Gattis splitting designated hitter duties with George Springer and Jake Marisnick in the fold already. That means Aoki would be an expensive extra outfielder. If the Orioles want a left-handed hitting outfielder who is a career .286 hitter and is worth about a win every season, they should watch his market develop. Chris Carter ($8.1 million) – The Milwaukee Brewers slugger was non-tendered by Houston in 2015 and hit 41 home runs, the most in the National League, in 2016. It’s a steep price for a career .218 hitter, but he’s a neutral split player and could fill a similar role to Alvarez if the Brewers don’t bring him back. The right-handed bat in a lineup that struggles with lefties would be an asset, as would the power. He’s essentially a right-handed Chris Davis at the plate, though. Trevor Plouffe ($8.2 million) – This projected price tag was already too much for the Minnesota Twins to take, so they outrighted Plouffe off their roster. He’s now a free agent. Though the Orioles are set at his primary positions—third base and first base—Plouffe could be a valuable right-handed bat off the bench. He’s a career .268 hitter against lefties, with his OPS of .809 far better than his .697 OPS against righties. The fit defensively isn’t there, but offensively it is. Ben Revere ($6.25 million) – Revere was seen as the missing piece in Washington last season, but ultimately got replaced by rookie Trea Turner in center field and is going to be a pricey reserve if his arbitration salary ends up where it’s projected. It was a stunning falloff, a hitter who hadn’t hit under .294 in five seasons batting .219 and watching nearly every rate stat plummet. He’s still a defensive asset, though, and while it’s been a while since he played right field, his presence would take a lot of pressure off Adam Jones defensively. Jones, Joey Rickard, and Revere would represent the best set of defenders the Orioles have put in the outfield in a long time. http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-notes-hall-of-fame-ballot-features- several-new-o-s-minor-league-slugger-signed-20161121-story.html Orioles notes: Hall of Fame ballot features several new O's; minor league slugger signed By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun November 21, 2016 This year’s ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame features a number of newcomers who at one point or another donned an Orioles uniform, headlined by slugger Vladimir Guerrero and infielder Melvin Mora. Of the 19 new players, five spent time in Baltimore — Guererro, Mora, Derrek Lee, Casey Blake and Arthur Rhodes. Guererro finished his career by serving as the Orioles’ designated hitter in 2009, and hit .290 with 13 home runs in 145 games. That capped a 16-year career that saw him make 10 All-Star appearances and win the MVP award in 2004 for the Anaheim Angels. Mora was a memorable part of the Orioles during the 2000s, making a pair of All-Star appearances while batting .277 with 158 home runs in 10 seasons for the club. Rhodes began his career with the Orioles at age 21 in 1991 and went on to pitch nine seasons with the Orioles, compiling a 4.86 ERA. He pitched for 11 more seasons after leaving the Orioles, making an All-Star Game at age 40 with the Cincinnati Reds and ending his career with a 4.06 ERA. Lee and Blake both briefly spent time with the Orioles. Lee, a two-time All-Star and three- time Gold Glove winner, played 85 games for the Orioles in 2011, batting .246 with a dozen home runs before he was dealt to Pittsburgh. Blake played six games with the Orioles in 2001 before embarking on a successful career in Cleveland and Los Angeles. They join a list of former Orioles who carried over from last year, including pitchers Mike Mussina, Lee Smith, Curt Schilling, plus outfielders Tim Raines and Sammy Sosa. Raines and Smith are in their final year on the ballot. Minor move: First baseman/outfielder David Washington, formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals organization, was signed to a minor league contract and assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. Washington, listed at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, is a career .250 hitter who showed himself in 2016 to be the kind of power/on-base combination the Orioles covet. He hit 30 home runs between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, but also struck out 169 times in 127 total games. http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/209339724/zach-britton-best-suited-as-orioles-closer/ Duquette: Britton's value in 'pen, not starting By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com November 21, 2016 BALTIMORE -- Could Zach Britton be a potential rotation candidate next spring? "That's something we've discussed internally, but I'm not sure it's something we are really interested in pursuing," Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said earlier this month at the General Managers Meetings. "I'm not sure that's something Zach is interested in pursuing. He's worked really hard to perfect his sinker, and that's made him a premier pitcher." Britton, a two-time All-Star closer, went a perfect 47-for-47 in save opportunities and finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting this season. Duquette has already said that adding a starting pitcher is not on the O's agenda this offseason, and he's made it clear he'd prefer not to trade Britton, who would be an interesting trade chip. But the possibility of the lefty returning to the rotation looks like a long shot at best. If the Orioles are indeed set in their rotation -- which has been their weakest link over the past few seasons -- they'll probably once again need to rely heavily on the bullpen in 2017. "The traditional way to build a pitching staff is to have a couple 200-innings guys in front, a setup man and closer -- and you bookend those and it should prevent you from long losing streaks and help you secure the wins," Duquette said. "But there aren't that many 200-inning pitchers anymore.