Baltimore Orioles: 10 Free Agent Left-Handed Hitters Team Could Pursue
By Ben Palmer
8. John Jaso – C
It seems likely that Welington Castillo will be opting out of his contract, which means that the Orioles need a catcher. Now, they could go with their top prospect, Chance Sisco, but if they’re not sure if he’s ready and don’t want to roll with Caleb Joseph full time, John Jaso is an option.
Now, I should preface this by saying that Jaso has flirted with the idea of retiring, and he may just do that, but if he doesn’t, he could be a relatively useful, inexpensive catching option while Sisco gets more adjusted to the major leagues.
Jaso didn’t have the greatest year last year, slashing just .211/.328/.402 with 10 home runs, 28 runs, and 35 RBIs, but he’s got the ability to be a competent catcher with some decent offensive production.
He also had a BABIP of .243 last season, which leads me to believe that he’s closer to 2016 John Jaso who batted .268 than last year’s John Jaso, especially considering his walk rate improved last year.