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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Columns:  Offseason Orioles Insider report: Talking tenders The Sun 11/30  Digest: Orioles minor league manager Orlando Gomez retires The Sun 11/30  The Thames deal and wondering if Carter may impact Trumbo MASNsports.com 11/30  Will the Orioles have a tough call on Vance Worley? MASNsports.com 11/30  Orlando Gomez retires after a 52-year career in MASNsports.com 11/29  The curious case of Alvarez’s 2016, and how it affects his 2017 value BaltimoreBaseball.com 11/29 http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-offseason-orioles-insider-report-talking- tenders-20161129-story.html

Offseason Orioles Insider report: Talking tenders

By Eduardo A. Encina and Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun November 30, 2016

Check out the latest Offseason Orioles Insider video report:

An annual rite of the early offseason, the Orioles have until Friday at midnight to decide whether to tender contracts to their 10 arbitration-eligible players.

Those 10 players would take up about $50 million of payroll for next season, as several key players – including third baseman , closer Zach Britton and right-hander Chris Tillman – will earn raises that will likely take their salaries into eight digits.

Combine that with guaranteed deals to eight players already on the books and the Orioles’ payroll is quickly reaching the $150 million mark before addressing any offseason needs.

So the Orioles will face some tough decisions on whether to make some players contract offers. Are players like utility man Ryan Flaherty, swingman Vance Worley and left-hander T.J. McFarland considered too much of luxuries to keep next year?

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-digest-1130-20161130-story.html

Digest: Orioles minor league manager Orlando Gomez retires

The Baltimore Sun November 30, 2016

After a long in , Orlando Gomez decides to head for home.

After 52 years in professional baseball and 12 in the Orioles organization, Orlando Gomez is retiring.

Gomez, 70, managed the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Orioles in 2016 and also has managed the High-A , the Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds and Rookie-level Bluefield Orioles. He had 278 wins as Keys manager, a franchise record.

Gomez was a minor league catcher for 13 years in the and systems, then spent 39 years as a manager, and scout, including major league coaching stints with the , Seattle Marinersand .

His son-in-law Jose Hernandez is the field coach for the -A in the Orioles organization. http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/11/the-thames-deal-and-how-carter-may- impact-trumbo.html

The Thames deal and wondering if Carter may impact Trumbo

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com November 30, 2016

The Orioles are known to check the Korean Baseball Organization for potential fits on their pitching staff and in their lineup, but they passed on Eric Thames, who signed a three- year deal with the Brewers.

Let’s go over this again. Eric Thames received a three-year deal from a major league team that includes an option for a fourth season and reportedly is worth $16 million guaranteed after posting a .250/.296/.431 slash line in 181 career games with the Blue Jays and Mariners.

The contract also includes the stipulation that Thames can’t be sent to the minors without his permission.

This is the same Eric Thames who played 36 games at Triple-A Norfolk in 2013 and batted .252/.315/.356 before the Astros claimed him off waivers and released him three months later.

The Brewers are putting all of their eggs in the KBO basket.

Thames batted .348/.450/.720, 124 home runs and drove in 379 runs in three seasons with the NC Dinos. Now comes his reward, and it’s a doozy.

I’m betting that Thames is more surprised than anyone. I hope he was sitting down when his agent presented the Brewers’ offer.

You’re a true fan if you remember how Thames wound up in the Orioles organization. They acquired him from the Mariners on June 30, 2013 for . The presses came to a screeching halt. I can still smell the fumes.

The story of Thames’ arrival in Milwaukee is more intriguing when coupled with the Brewers’ decision to designate Chris Carter for assignment. Carter hit 41 home runs this season and MLBTradeRumors.com projected that he’d receive $8.1 million in arbitration.

Carter has another year of arbitration eligibility beyond 2017. He’s a proven power hitter. But he’s a career .218 hitter in seven seasons, led the majors in in 2013 with 212 and led the this year with 206.

I’m wondering whether Carter’s availability impacts Mark Trumbo’s market in free agency. A team infatuated with home runs and willing to accept deficiencies in other areas could jump at Carter, who won’t bring the same cost and commitment. Remember that Trumbo turned down the qualifying offer and has a draft pick attached to him.

This article on MLB.com makes an interesting comparison between Trumbo and Carter and questions why the former is deemed more desirable and deserving of a long-term deal. Trumbo’s got him in average from 2013-16, but not in on-base percentage or home runs, and they’re tied in slugging percentage.

Would the Orioles be interested in Carter as a potential replacement for Trumbo? At least admit that the thought crossed your mind the instant that you heard he was designated for assignment.

Carter would be viewed as a designated hitter, the same role the Orioles would like for Trumbo to fill on most nights. He’d also be viewed as the guy with the career .218 average and totals rivaling the ones posted by .

Davis led the majors with 219 strikeouts this season. Carter ranked second. Carter was fifth in the majors in 2014 with 182 over 145 games. Davis was tied for sixth with 173 in 127 games. Davis was runner-up to Carter in 2013 with 199.

It sounds like a broken record, but the Orioles want to improve their on-base capabilities. They also want to maintain power throughout their lineup and add a left-handed bat.

Carter would satisfy one of those goals.

In case you somehow missed it, the Mets re-signed outfielder Yoenis Cespedes for $110 million over four years, the richest contract in club history for a free agent. His annual average salary of $27.5 million is the second-largest in baseball history for a position player behind ’s $31 million.

I can cross one name off the list of players who will be linked to the Orioles at the Winter Meetings. There’s no way that the Orioles were going to give Cespedes or anyone else that kind of money, but you can bet that someone would have reported their interest next week.

Jon Jay was a more realistic target, but he reached agreement with the Cubs on a one-year deal worth $8 million.

Jay is a left-handed hitter who owns a career .352 on-base percentage in seven seasons and plays all three outfield positions. He doesn’t offer much power, but the Orioles aren’t hurting for it.

It seems more likely now that the Cubs have moved on from Dexter Fowler. Then again, fool me once ...

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/11/will-the-orioles-have-a-tough-call-on- vance-worley.html

Will the Orioles have a tough call on Vance Worley?

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com November 30, 2016

Right-handed Vance Worley was valuable for the 2016 Orioles. He could pitch as a starter or a reliever. He could pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen. He could get out both left- and right-handed batters. He could sit idle for days, and then come into a game and be effective.

But will the Orioles even make Worley a contract offer for the 2017 season? He is arbitration- eligible and MLBTradeRumors.com projects he would earn $3.3 million in arbitration. The Orioles could non-tender Worley and make him a free agent. They could then sign him for less or look elsewhere for a pitcher that could be a swingman-type to both start or pitch out of the bullpen.

Worley went 2-2 with a 3.53 ERA over 35 games with four as a starter in 2016. In 86 2/3 innings, he walked 35, fanned 56 and had a WHIP of 1.373. Lefty batters hit .264 and right- handed batters .259 off him. Of his 31 games in relief, 21 were multi-inning efforts. He pitched to an ERA of 2.38 in home games and an ERA of 1.47 from the seventh inning on.

But is $3.3 million just too much for a pitcher in that role? The Orioles have Tyler Wilson, not yet eligible for arbitration, who could serve in that role and take out a much smaller bite of the payroll.

Worley is not in line for big dollars compared to so many others in the game, but has the arbitration process perhaps priced him off the Orioles roster?

Cespedes and Jay off the board: On the same day that the agreed to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes for four years and $110 million, outfielder Jon Jay agreed to join the Chicago Cubs on a one-year deal for $8 million.

While Cespedes to the Orioles was not going to happen and we knew that, some fans saw Jay as a good fit for a corner outfield spot and as a leadoff hitter for the Birds.

The 31-year-old Jay hit .291/.339/.389 for San Diego last year over 374 plate appearances with 26 doubles, a triple, two homers and 26 RBIs. He is a career .287/.352/.384 batter over seven seasons.

What is not known is whether the uncertain collective bargaining agreement negotiations had anything to do with either agreement yesterday. But it sure seems like Jay could have waited and done better later in the winter.

Signing Jay is leading most to figure that outfielder Dexter Fowler will now almost certainly leave the Cubs. The Blue Jays are said to have a lot of interest in Fowler. While Fowler seems a great fit for the Orioles, there is that matter of the dollars involved and loss of a draft pick.

How would Fowler to Toronto be seen by fans of the Orioles?

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/11/orlando-gomez-retires-after-a-52-year- career-in-baseball.html

Orlando Gomez retires after a 52-year career in baseball

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com November 29, 2016

He managed Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop and the 2011 Frederick Keys to the Single-A Carolina League championship. Now, after a 52-year career in baseball, Orlando Gomez is retiring.

Gomez was named the recipient of the Orioles’ Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award after leading Frederick to a 80-59 record in 2011. He has worked for the Orioles for 12 years, managing three of the last four seasons as skipper of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League team.

Gomez managed Frederick from 2010-12 and in 2015. With 278 victories, he is the Keys’ all- time wins leader and is the only field leader to eclipse the 200-win plateau. For the Orioles, he also managed at Single-A Delmarva. In 2005-06 he was a batting practice pitcher on the Orioles’ major league staff.

A native of Juan Diaz, Puerto Rico, Gomez played for 13 seasons as a minor league catcher with the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics organizations. He then spent 39 years as a manager, coach and scout. More than 20 of those came as a minor league skipper, where he accumulated more than 1,200 wins.

Gomez managed several current Orioles during their time on the O’s farm. In addition to Machado and Schoop, that list includes Kevin Gausman, , and . Prior to his time with Baltimore, Gomez helped develop Ivan Rodriguez, Ruben Sierra, , Jay Bell and Wilson Alvarez, as well as current Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell, among others.

Besides his work with the Orioles, Gomez spent time with Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay Rays organizations. This included time on the major league staffs of all three as both a bullpen coach and first base coach. Gomez and his wife, Nylsa, have six children. His son-in- law, Jose Hernandez, is the field coach for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.

I’ve had the chance to interview Gomez several times over the years. Anyone that came into contact with him quickly realized what a wonderful gentleman he is and how much he loves the game. Over the years, clearly hundreds and hundreds of players have benefited from his tutelage. http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/11/30/curious-case-alvarezs-2016-affects-2017-value/

The curious case of Alvarez’s 2016, and how it affects his 2017 value

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com November 29, 2016

This may sound complicated, but stick with me.

The way the Orioles used Pedro Alvarez in 2016 may have hurt his overall value in this winter’s free-agent market.

The way the Orioles used Alvarez in 2016 may have made him a more attractive option to certain teams in 2017.

And the way the Orioles used Alvarez, given the two concepts above, may make him more likely to return to Baltimore in 2017, especially if they could get him on a similar deal to last winter’s one-year, $5.75 million contract.

Got all that?

Here’s the deal: Orioles manager Buck Showalter kept Alvarez at designated hitter for much of 2016, Alvarez’s first season in the American League.

There were significant questions about Alvarez’s defense at first base and third base during his six seasons with the , and he really had no opportunity to answer those with the Orioles. He didn’t play first base, with Gold Glove contender Chris Davis handling those duties.

And, with another Gold Glove finalist, Manny Machado, at third base most nights, Alvarez was used at the hot corner basically in emergencies. He logged 53 innings at third base in 2016, had nine chances and committed four errors. Not good.

Obviously, his agent, , is going to market Alvarez as a power bat with experience at both corner infield spots, but that’s a hard sell given his lack of defensive opportunities with the Orioles. So, in one sense, Showalter did Alvarez’s market value no favors.

Yet by using Alvarez almost exclusively at DH, Showalter may have boosted Alvarez’s value to teams with an immediate DH vacancy and power need. Being a capable designated hitter is not an easy task, especially for a 20-something who has been a fielder for all of his career.

Alvarez, however, did a solid job in his initial shot as a DH-only. In 376 plate appearances, he hit 22 homers, drove in 49 RBIs and batted .249, 11 points higher than his career mark. It was his best average since his rookie year in 2010. His .322 on-base percentage also was his best since 2010 and he posted a career-high .504 slugging percentage.

Perhaps, most important for his market value, Alvarez accepted the DH role with no grousing. Even when he was reduced to basically facing right-handers in the final month or so of the season, Alvarez didn’t say a word. He kept working in the batting cage and kept a positive attitude in the clubhouse.

As the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 draft, Alvarez shouldered lofty expectations in Pittsburgh, and he never quite met them. And, as his career there progressed, Alvarez gained the reputation of being aloof and moody — and not necessarily a team player.

In Baltimore, that couldn’t have been further from reality. It probably helped that Alvarez’s best buddy in baseball and former Vanderbilt University teammate, utilityman Ryan Flaherty, was in the Orioles’ clubhouse to ease the transition from the beginning.

Before the year ended, however, several veteran Orioles, publicly and privately, lauded Alvarez as a teammate and a person. And though he wasn’t particularly chummy with the media, Alvarez was cordial and professional, and made himself available whenever needed. That’s all we ask.

All in all, if there were any questions about how Alvarez would deal with a limited role and a lack of status going into the 2016 season, he passed the tests flawlessly. That, along with his relatively young age (30 in February) and the power he displayed – a career-best home-run per plate appearance (15.3) and a career-tying-low at-bat-per-strikeout rate (3.5) – should make him an enticing DH option for some AL team.

And that some team could be the Orioles again. In fact, there are those in the organization that believe the club has as good of a chance (or better) of re-signing Alvarez than any of its other free agents. Because Alvarez was comfortable in Baltimore, was put in a situation to succeed and offers the club something it still covets: Power.

These Orioles, for good or bad, are built on the longball, especially at Camden Yards. If Wieters, Mark Trumbo and Alvarez go elsewhere, the Orioles will lose 86 homers from a club that led the majors in that category in 2016.

Alvarez will be the most affordable of the trio to retain, and, if Trumbo is gone, it probably opens up the DH slot more for Alvarez. He lost time there once the club obtained Michael Bourn (and Drew Stubbs) to spell Trumbo in right field, forcing the majors’ leader to spend more time at DH, somewhat displacing Alvarez.

At the very least, if re-signed Alvarez could share the DH spot next year with right-handed- hitting Trey Mancini if the rookie makes the 2017 team.

That’s another interesting thing about the way Alvarez was used in 2016 that may affect his value this winter. A career .205 hitter versus lefties, Alvarez hit .243 against them in 2016 while also far exceeding his career marks in on-base percentage and slugging percentage versus southpaws. But he also only had 41 plate appearances (37 at-bats) against lefties as Showalter carefully picked Alvarez’s spots.

Teams can view that a couple ways: Either Alvarez is close to being a strict platoon player now or his improvement in limited exposure to lefties could be a sign that he’s advancing in that area.

It was definitely a strange year for Alvarez. He excelled in the summer, batting .290 with 16 homers in June, July and August, but lost playing time in September because the Orioles wanted to upgrade their outfield defense and couldn’t take Trumbo’s bat out of the everyday lineup.

It was all designed to help the Orioles make the playoffs, which they did. But, inadvertently, it affected Alvarez’s usage and maybe, ultimately, his free-agent value.

And that could be a good thing for the Orioles, who believe Alvarez filled a rather valuable role in 2016 – and one they may be seeking to fill again in 2017.