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Baltimore Orioles: Five Possible Offseason Outfield Additions

By Ben Palmer

Jul 6, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones (10), left fielder Hyun Soo Kim (25) and right fielder Mark Trumbo (45) head in from the outfield after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in14th innings at Dodger Stadium. Orioles won 6-4 in the 14th inning. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 6, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones (10), left fielder Hyun Soo Kim (25) and right fielder Mark Trumbo (45) head in from the outfield after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in14th innings at Dodger Stadium. Orioles won 6-4 in the 14th inning. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 19, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Michael Saunders (21) hits a single during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians in game five of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Michael Saunders (21) hits a single during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians in game five of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Michael Saunders

Michael Saunders exploded in the first half of the year last season, batting .298/.372/.551 with 16 HRs through the first half of the year. Then, the second half came and it all fell apart, as he batted a miserable .178/.282/.357 with 8 HRs.

That bad finish to the season is likely what prevented the Blue Jays from giving Saunders a qualifying offer, but that would work in the Baltimore Orioles favor, as they wouldn’t have to give up a draft pick to sign him.

Saunders also played some pretty below-average defense for the Blue Jays last season, but his offense was strong enough that they kept putting him out there. He spent most of his time playing left field, and that would fit pretty well for the Orioles.

Saunders hits lefties pretty well, batting .275 against them last year, and current Orioles left fielder Hyun-Soo Kim hits lefties really poorly, so a platoon in left field could work relatively well for the Orioles. Saunders has also spent time in right field, so he can play either corner if needed.

One of the other bonuses to Saunders is that he likely won’t command much money on the market, at least not as much as players like Trumbo and Desmond, thanks to his poor finish last year, and the fact that he’ll be 30 once the season starts. Money has been an issue for the Orioles, so they could get a quality outfielder for a decent price.

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