Baltimore Orioles: 5 Free Agents the Orioles Should Consider
Baltimore Orioles stare at another hectic offseason with key players heading to free agency and an unresolved rotation.
The Baltimore Orioles reached the playoffs this past season for the third time in the last five years. However, there seems to be a trend in those five seasons that doesn’t bold well for the Baltimore Orioles playoff hopes in 2017.
In 2012, the Orioles reached the playoffs for the first time since 1997, ending a 15-year drought. The Orioles went on to miss the playoffs in 2013, but in 2014, they became the American League East champions. The Orioles then missed the playoffs again in 2015. The point here is that the Orioles haven’t reached the postseason in consecutive seasons not only under Buck Showalter but also in the past 20 years.
Despite not being able to join the postseason tournament in consecutive years, the Orioles do have the most wins over the past five seasons in the American league with 444 wins.
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Last winter, the Baltimore Orioles spent a franchise-record $243 million on free agents to return to the postseason. The majority of the money was spent to re-sign Orioles first baseman Chris Davis to a 7-year deal worth $161 million. Davis who led the majors with 219 strikeouts this past season, will earn a massive $138 million through 2022.
The Orioles choose not to offer the franchise’s long-time catcher Matt Wieters with a one-year 17.2 million qualifying offer. The decision is likely due to the fact that the Orioles didn’t want to take a $17.2 million hit to the 2017 payroll after Wieters surprisingly accepted the team’s qualifying offer last year.
However, the Orioles did provide Silver Slugger and home-run champion Mark Trumbo with a qualifying offer, but Trumbo turned down the Orioles offer of a guaranteed $17.2 million. If Trumbo ultimately decides to sign with another team, the Orioles in return would gain a compensatory draft pick.
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette will also look to add players outside the organization through the free agent market. The following list covers five free agents the Orioles should target heading into the 2016-17 offseason.
5. Ian Desmond, OF
As expected, outfielder Ian Desmond rejected the Texas Ranger’s one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer earlier this week, making him a free agent. Per reports from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Baltimore Orioles have already shown interest in the 31-year-old, who is fresh off an All-Star season hitting .285/.335/.446 with 22 home runs and 86 RBIs. The former shortstop for the Washington Nationals, Desmond flourished as an outfielder for Texas, playing both center field and the outfield corners.
It’s obvious the Orioles lack talent in the stolen base department as they concluded the 2016 season with an MLB-worst 19 stolen bases. Desmond single handily surpassed the entire Orioles team in stolen bases with 21. Joey Rickard, who played just 85 games, led the Orioles with four stolen bases.
After rejecting the Orioles qualifying offer, Mark Trumbo is now one of the league’s more prime free agents this offseason. The acquisition of Desmond would be monumental for the Orioles who will likely need to replace Trumbo in the outfield. The versatile Desmond will likely demand a multi-year contract worth upwards of $55-$65 million.