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 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 baseball 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 Manny Machado, 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 run in professional baseball, 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 Frederick Keys, 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 New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics systems, then spent 39 years as a manager, coach and scout, including major league coaching stints with the Texas Rangers, Seattle Marinersand Tampa Bay Rays. His son-in-law Jose Hernandez is the field coach for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides 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 outfielder 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, hit 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 infielder Ty Kelly. 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 strikeouts in 2013 with 212 and led the National League 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 strikeout totals rivaling the ones posted by Chris Davis. 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 Miguel Cabrera’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 pitcher 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 New York Mets 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.