Baltimore Orioles Thread: Orioles Magic

[Leftwich]

Realistically without some sort of pitching help and/or a decent LF... i dont think we make .500 this year. Woopee.

[Guest]

Realistically without some sort of pitching help and/or a decent LF... i dont think we make .500 this year. Woopee.

It's going to be a long season, because even if we are .500 or over, I still think Yanks, Sox and Rays finish ahead of us.

[Guest]

An otherwise outstanding sophomore season ended on a sour note for Manny Machado, as he injured his left knee running through first base in a late September game. He was originally expected to miss only 6-8 weeks, but he wound up needing surgery on the medial patellofemoral ligament of his left knee in October. The revised 4-6 month recovery time made him questionable for the start of 2014.

Machado, who won't turn 22 until July, had a scheduled check-up on the knee on Thursday. It is healing well, so well that he may be as much as two months ahead of schedule:

It's good to be young, isn't it?

If Machado is indeed that far ahead of schedule, he shouldn't have much trouble being ready in time for opening day. That's great news for an Orioles team that, frankly, hasn't improved all that much this offseason.

Machado hit .283/.314/.432 with 14 homers, 71 RBI, 88 runs and an AL-best 51 doubles this past season for Baltimore.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-...g-knee-surgery

About the only good news for us this off-season. Otherwise we were looking at Casilla likely starting at third to start the season

[Guest]

Brett Tomko is going to throw for the Orioles on Friday........

[Guest]

This has been a very quiet offseason for the Orioles. The club traded closer Jim Johnson to the Athletics in a cost saving move but otherwise have only signed reliever Ryan Webb to a substantial contract. He received $4.5 million across two years. Their two-year deal with Grant Balfour fell through over physical concerns and other moves have involved minor league deals and near league minimum salaries.

It appears Baltimore is finally ready to kick things into gear and get involved in the starting pitching market now that Masahiro Tanaka is off the board. They're currently talking to three of the best available starters:

The Orioles have already lost Scott Feldman to free agency and they could lose Jason Hammel as well. Their rotation currently includes Bud Norris, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez and Chris Tillman. Kevin Gausman and Zach Britton could be in the mix as well. There's quite a bit of potential in that group but it is underwhelming given everything we know today.

The O's have paid handsomely to keep their own players in recent years (Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, specifically), but you have to go all the way back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 for the last time they gave a free agent $10+ million annually. Ervin Santana, Bronson Arroyo and Ubaldo Jimenez all figure to command eight-figure annual salaries, so the team would have to break out of a decade-old shell to land one of the right-handers.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-...arroyo-jimenez

Finally

[Guest]

Orioles "all in" on AJ Burnett, and seem to be one of two teams still active in talks for Nelson Cruz.

[Guest]

Finalists for Bronson Arroyo, according to CBS and also the Baltimore Sun. Dodgers and D-backs also finalists, and I just don't see him leaving the NL.

[Guest]

Korean pitcher Suk-min Yoon has an agreement with the Orioles pending a physical, sources said.

Considering the Orioles' soap-operatic winter, this may be especially welcome news in Baltimore.

Yoon's deal is pending a physical, but early word seems to be that he's in good shape to pass -- something that's been no certainty with the Orioles this offseason.

Yoon added an element of drama when he appeared to transmit the news via a tweet of a picture with himself(a "selfie") in an Orioles cap. @MyKBO, a Korean baseball expert, understandably interpreted the tweet to mean that Yoon was headed to the Orioles -- though later reports from Baltimore suggested no deal was yet in place.

The Orioles are described as "tight-lipped" following the public issues with the physicals of Grant Balfour and Tyler Colvin. Balfour wound up signing with the Rays after a physical issue allegedly surfaced in the Orioles' medical exam, and a pre-existing back injury derailed the Colvin agreement on a major-league deal.

The third one may be the charm for the Orioles, though. Yoon is a former Korea Baseball organization MVP, going 17-5 with a 2.45 ERA and winning the honor in 2011. He was 3-6 with a 4.00 ERA and seven saves last year. The Orioles may consider him as a starter or reliever -- assuming the deal son becomes final.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/...eaded-physical

Not sure where he slots into the pitching staff. Could be a starter, but there is concern that he doesn't have the stamina to take a rotation spot. More than likely, he'll be working out of the bullpen if I had to guess, since we were still looking to sign K-Rod or Rodney last week.

[Guest]

I guess with the Jimenez signing, the Orioles are going to go all in. They've already given up the first round pick for him, and they traded the compensatory pick for Bud Norris, so if the Orioles were to sign Morales or Santana, who they are both rumored to be talking with right now, it costs the 55th pick in the draft.

What worries me about the team suddenly being active is that it might be a sign that talks this off-season didn't go very well with Scott Boras for either Wieters or Davis. They might suddenly be in "win now" mode because both Wieters and Davis could be gone after 2015. Although we waited quite a bit to make that decision, and any combination of Jimenez, Morales or Santana doesn't make the Orioles sudden favorites.

[Guest]

The Orioles are in serious talks with free agent pitcher Johan Santana, regarding a minor-league contract, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman also notes that a signing is likely.

Santana, 34, worked out for seven teams last week and reportedly was only sitting at around 77-78 miles per hour with his fastball. Still, he's still in the rehab process and is shooting for a return to the hill at some point in June.

The signing of Santana is tantamount to spending a few bucks on a Powerball ticket. In the grand scheme of things, there really isn't much risk, but the incredibly unlikely reward is big. The former best pitcher in baseball was still very productive in 2010 and had a 2.38 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched for the Mets through 11 starts in 2012.

Since then, though, Santana fell apart (8.27 ERA in next 10 starts) and had surgery on his left shoulder -- his second such procedure.

As far as a role, the Orioles have starting pitching depth in Ubaldo Jimenez, Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris, Miguel Gonzalez, Kevin Gausman, Zach Britton and Suk-min Yoon are eight starters for five spots right now. So Santana would have to break into the top five over four guys there.

What about as a reliever? It's intriguing. The Orioles only have Brian Matusz -- who is also attempting to stick as a starter, by the way -- in the 'pen from the left side to begin the season and Santana could thrive with a fastball-sinker-changeup arsenal as a situational reliever. It's worth a try.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-...-johan-santana

It's not a bad move, as there is no risk involved, and the Orioles have the starting depth, if not the #1 guy, so they aren't counting on him for anything. I am actually surprised that Santana would pick the Orioles, as it seems that his path back to the majors would be blocked. Maybe as a reliever, but we will have Matusz and Patton by then, and I think TJ McFarland lands the long relief job again.

[Guest]

The Tigers continue to stockpile shortstop depth in the wake of Jose Iglesias' likely season-ending injury. They have traded utility man Steve Lombardozzi to the Orioles for veteran shortstop Alex Gonzalez, the Orioles announced.

Gonzalez, 37, was in camp with Baltimore on a minor league contract. He has played only 65 games over the last two seasons, all with the Brewers and only 27 at shortstop. Gonzalez hit .211/.256/.325 (56 OPS+) with five home runs during that time, including .177/.203/.230 with one homer in 2014.

The Tigers recently acquired shortstop Andrew Romine from the Angels to help replace Iglesias, who is out with stress fractures in both legs. Gonzalez and Romine join Hernan Perez and Danny Worth as the team's options at shortstop. The unsigned Stephen Drew remains a possibility as well.

Lombardozzi, 25, was part of this offseason's Doug Fister trade. He has hit .264/.297/.342 (74 OPS+) with five home runs and nine stolen bases in 257 games with the Nationals over the last three years. Lombardozzi has a bunch of MLB time at second base, third base, and in left field. As a young, useful bench piece, he's an excellent return for a 37-year-old veteran who was in camp as a non-roster invitee.

The Orioles do not figure have to have Manny Machado at the start of the season following his offseason knee surgery, so Lombardozzi gives them added infield depth. He could wind up being their everyday second baseman -- or at least part of a platoon -- while Ryan Flaherty mans the hot corner during Machado's absence.

To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Lombardozzi, the Orioles designated catcher Johnny Monell for assignment. The 27-year-old appeared in 11 games for Baltimore last season, going 1-for-8 with a hit-by-pitch and two runs scored.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-...-alex-gonzalez

I think Duquette won this deal, a 37 year old invited to camp on a minor league contract, who has barely played the past two seasons, for a 25 year old utility player who could end up filling the void at 2B until Schoop is ready. Also helps that we don't trot out two Mendoza-line players in Weeks and Flaherty while Machado is out either.

[strahanfan92]

I don't understand what the Tigers are doing here.. Great trade for the O's.

[Guest]

I don't understand what the Tigers are doing here.. Great trade for the O's.

I don't think Dombrowski wants to give up the first round pick and the cash for Stephen Drew, and Nick Franklin has been shopped around and both the Orioles and Tigers have looked at him, but there is no telling he is going to be even average defensively at short. Still doesn't mean you give up a useful 25 year old for a 37 year old infielder who may have been cut by the Orioles anyway.

[Slateman]

I don't understand what the Tigers are doing here.. Great trade for the O's.

Dombroski logic: Fister = Krol and Ray.

I always thought Lombo was overrated. If I were Dom, I would have insisted on Walters being thrown in. In fact, I would have taken him in place of Ray.

[MVPete]

Well now I guess we don't see Schoop, which sucks. They'll keep him down in the minors till Davis, Wieters, and Markakis leave and bat cleanup in 2016.