Baltimore Orioles: Remaining Outfield Options
If the Baltimore Orioles are to sign an additional corner outfielder, what are some of the remaining options that may be considered?
Of course, this very question will hit some O’s fans as secondary to another question: What are the Orioles going to do about the starting rotation? Just days ago here on The Baltimore Wire, we wrote a different angle sort of piece on this question.
If I tend to fall off the wagon to one side or the other, I probably tend to be more optimistic than pessimistic about rosters and a pending baseball season. Having said that, I do believe that this Hyeon-soo Kim acquisition is going to prove to be a good one, and I have more confidence in Nolan Reimold than most all other Orioles writers. There are options as well that involve Chris Davis or Mark Trumbo in right field, not to mention Henry Urrutia and Dariel Alvarez.
But beyond these considerations, what are the remaining possibilities?
The first answer is Dexter Fowler, though the Orioles seem to be unwilling to consider this due to losing their top draft pick. It just is not going to happen.
So let’s consider this following list of candidates: Marlon Byrd, David DeJesus, Austin Jackson, Alex Rios, Shane Victorino. With any of these it comes down to price, and I would imagine the Orioles could well wait until the very end, hoping for a bargain.
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Marlon Byrd — This right-handed hitting outfielder will turn age 39 this summer. He has averaged 24 home runs per season over the past three years. However, Byrd hit just .247 this past year, as compared to a lifetime average of .275. Over the past two years, he was making $8 million per season, and nothing like that is going to happen in Baltimore.
David DeJesus — Having played for six franchises in his career, the 36-year-old has a great lifetime OBP of .349. However, in 2015 it was just .299 on a .233 average over 112 games. This looks more like a reserve player than a regular, though DeJesus is a left-handed batter. His salary in 2015 was $5 million.
Austin Jackson — Today is actually Jackson’s 29th birthday. A player with a wide-ranging set of skills, he has not lived up to prior expectations over the past three seasons. Even so, he has a .273 lifetime average and .333 OBP. There is speed as well as some power ability, though he is a right-handed hitter. He is also a Boras client. It was projected by MLBTR that he would get a one-year deal for $12 million. That won’t happen in Baltimore.
Alex Rios — It was just in 2012 that the soon-to-be 35-year-old hit 25 home runs while batting .304; but in Kansas City this past year he hit only .255 with a .287 OBP in 105 games. Rios did kill the Orioles while going 11-for-21. Having made $11 to $12 million in recent seasons, it would take quite a last-minute deal to see the O’s go for him.
Shane Victorino — In 2013 he caught fire in Boston, batting .294/.351, which was a major contributing factor in the incredible season for the Red Sox. That in itself is enough to make a true Orioles fan not want him. But Victorino has only played in 101 games over the past two seasons. Coming off a deal of three years for $39 million, don’t go out and get an Orioles Shane jersey just yet.
Next: The Progress of Jomar Reyes
My honest expectation is that none of these will come true. But stranger things have happened in the past. Other than any of these, I would still hope for a Justin Morneau deal and take my chances with Davis, Trumbo and him at DH, 1B and RF. Either that or spend some remaining dollars on Matt Latos.