Kuzul

The Baltimore Orioles have sent relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio to the Arizona Diamondbacks for their slugging, strikeout-prone third baseman Mark Reynolds.

Even though it happened only a couple hours ago, every Orioles fan knows that by now.

Reynolds is a legitimate, right-handed power bat, having hit 32 homers last season, and 44 in 2009.

But he strikes out a lot. In fact, more often than anyone else in history, being the only player to strike out over 200 times in a season.

He’s done that the past three years.

He also hit .198 last year, but did have a .320 on-base percentage.

Knowing that, the Orioles front office now should focus on adding a solid bat.

By solid, I mean someone who can put up good power numbers with at least a decent average. Someone named Adam LaRoche.

I’ve seen some fans calling for the signing of Carlos Pena since this deal has happened, and I can understand that. The O’s need a first baseman, and Pena is a guy who plays a good first, is a leader in the clubhouse, and can hit the ball far.

Pena is also the same kind of hitter that Reynolds is—a guy who hits a homer or strikes out.

Pena has seen his average drop every year since his stellar 2007 season when he hit .282 with 46 homers and 121 runs batted in.

This past year, he put up a .196 average, but did have an OBP of .325.

Comparing power numbers between Pena and Reynolds, Pena put out 28 balls in 2010 while Reynolds smacked 32.

Pena drove in 84 runs; Reynolds tallied 85.

And while Pena stuck out 158 times compared to Reynolds ridiculous total of 211, you can see the similarities in the hitters pretty obviously.

Pena is almost a left-handed version of Reynolds, or vice-versa, when at the plate.

The O’s lineup doesn’t need another hitter like that.

They need someone who has been consistent, someone who the manager, coaches, and hitters batting around him know what he’s going to put up. Adam LaRoche is that guy.

While he won’t put up monster power numbers like Pena, LaRoche has managed to hit at least 20 homers in every season of his seven-year career except his rookie campaign, a year in which he hit 13 bombs in 324 at-bats, as well as driving in at least 78 runs every year besides his rookie year.

In 2010, he put up a line of .261/25/100, and his .320 OBP is identical to Reynolds’ and just five points lower than Pena’s.

He did strike out 172 times, but he had a much higher batting average.

Many fans point to the hitting coach in Tampa Bay as the reason why Pena’s average has dropped so much each year since 2007, and maybe a change of scenery combined with the help of manager Buck Showalter and hitting coach Jim Presley can help Pena return to form a bit.

But that’s just a maybe.

LaRoche has bounced around a bit in his career, and he has hit everywhere.

He’s a guy who the O’s would know what they’re going to get from at the plate, as well as a good glove defensively and a respected clubhouse member.

He would help add balance to an Orioles’ lineup that needs it even more so after the acquisition of Reynolds.

Like always, I could be wrong.

Pena could bounce back and be great for the Orioles if they were to sign him, or another team.

Obviously, both players have their drawbacks, but personally I feel that it’s more important for the O’s to grab a known commodity in LaRoche as opposed to another player who could mash the ball with a Reynolds-like batting average.

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Typically, I am not one to preach the use of stopgap players to make a bad team slightly better. It’s a waste of money and almost always doesn’t work.

But for the 2011 Baltimore Orioles, stopgap players are the way to go.

Considering this offseason’s free agent market is so thin, that’s almost the only option. That, or unloading the farm system for a big-name player, something we all know isn’t likely to happen.

Therefore, the Orioles will need to get creative, assuming Paul Konerko doesn’t want to sign here without being overpaid, which is practically a given.

There are ways to make a more competitive Baltimore Orioles team for 2011 without landing Konerko and Cliff Lee. And that’s what the 2011 season should be about: Making a more competitive team so that the free agents of next year’s class will be more apt to come to Baltimore, or at least hold the position until a prospect is ready to take it over.

Let’s take a look at some ideas:

Vladimir Guerrero

The slugger is coming off a great comeback year in which he hit .300 with 29 homers and 115 RBI’s. Stick that stat line in the 2010 Orioles and they would lead in all three categories. Vlad is getting up there in age for a ballplayer (will be 36 before the start of the 2011 season), but the guy can hit. 

He’s batted .300 or better in every season of his 15-year major league career except for his first, which consisted of 27 AB, and 2009, a season where he had just short of 400 AB due to injury, which surely took a toll on how he performed offensively.

And yet, the man was still able to hit .295 that year. Not to mention that in 10 of his 15 years, he’s driven in over 100 RBI.

Vlad will be much cheaper than many options out there, like Konerko or Adam Dunn, and serve the need of a big, intimidating right-handed bat to slot between Nick Markakis and Luke Scott.

Obviously, Buck Showalter would want to DH Vlad, as his outfield playing days are behind him and the O’s already have an awesome defensive right fielder in Markakis, which would push Luke Scott onto the field.

Or, an even crazier idea, Showalter could try Vlad at first. With Vlad’s knee problems, it probably wouldn’t work out well, but hey, it’s a thought, right?

Luke Scott

This is one of the more obvious ideas, putting Luke Scott at first for the 2011 season and seeing how he fares. Many people believe he can’t play there, but who really knows what Scott is able to do defensively until given a legitimate shot?

Showalter could call up Scott today and tell him to either get with one of the Orioles’ new coaches during the offseason, or hire a personal infield coach himself to work with him at the position and get him ready for spring training.

I wouldn’t expect Scott to become a Gold Glover, but I personally feel that given a chance, he could prove to be a very competent first baseman, at least until a better option rolls along.

Scott certainly has the bat for the position as well, if he can maintain what he was doing from last May on and erase the “streaky” label from himself completely. He wouldn’t be a top-hitting first baseman, but he would certainly do the job offensively, being a very nice complimentary piece if given the right people hitting in front of him.

Putting Luke Scott at first would open up the DH slot, which Vlad could fill. That would give the Orioles a 3-4-5 spot of Markakis, Guerrero and Scott, a line that could drive in a lot of runs if leadoff man Brian Roberts stays healthy.

Adam LaRoche

LaRoche is a guy who many people tend to forget about. Since 2005, he has hit at least 20 home runs and driven in at least 78 RBI every season, last year putting up a line of .261/25/100, all while hitting in spacious Chase Field in Arizona for a Diamondbacks team that had trouble doing pretty much everything offensively.

Now, LaRoche is obviously not the big cleanup hitter the O’s so desperately need, but he’d be a very, very good complementary bat if the O’s can get their big hitter, or at the very least, provide more pop and spark for a lineup lacking it.

He also has a solid glove, sporting a career .995 fielding percentage. LaRoche is a better player than many people realize, and he’d be pretty cheap.

If the Orioles could sign both Vlad Guerrero and Adam LaRoche, they could then move Luke Scott back into left field and have a offensive lineup that would be very much like the 2008 Orioles, with solid hitters up and down and the veterans helping the young guys get better pitches to hit.

Substitute the signing of LaRoche with, maybe, Carlos Pena, and there is yet another option, albeit one not as appealing. But these three free agents would all be cheaper, one-year solutions that would turn out productivity pretty close to what the top guys out there would.

I understand that playing Scott in left over Felix Pie and/or Nolan Reimold may not be very appealing, with the upside of both of the younger players, but these are just options I’m throwing around.

More than likely, the O’s won’t sign any of the three players I’ve mentioned in this article, but it’s always fun to throw fantasy lineups together and think about the options and possibilities. One thing is for sure, though: The Orioles need to do something with their offense before the 2011 season.

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I’ve read some speculation that the Baltimore Orioles may give Jim Johnson the chance to try out for a starting role during Spring Training of 2011. I’m not too sure of how true these rumors are, but I don’t like them.

Jim Johnson needs to remain in the bullpen, in the set-up role, until he proves he can no longer handle said role.

Johnson burst onto the scene by fitting in nicely in the O’s bullpen in 2008, and soon proved to be one of the most effective set-up men in baseball, finishing the year with a 2.23 ERA.

The following year, his ERA rose to 4.11, which many attributed to the fact that he wasn’t capable of handling the closer’s role, taking it over after the club sent their closer at the time, George Sherrill, over to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline.

This past season was up-and-down for the young starter-turned-reliever, as he began the season trying to pitch through an injury in his arm, something that he soon realized wasn’t a good idea due to his ineffective outings.

Once he returned, however, he pitched very well, returning to his 2008-2009 pre-closer by default form and allowing only one run during his final 10 outings of the season, lowering his ERA to a respectable 3.42.

Now that he is healthy and proved so during the end of the 2010 season, I feel as though he deserves to be handed back his set-up spot, with the understanding that it’s his to lose.

He has shown he can thrive in that position, and with the Orioles’ lack of consistency coming from their bullpen much of the past decade, they need a reliable eighth inning guy.

Taking Jim Johnson out of his comfort zone would be stupid; why put him under the pressure of proving himself in a new role when he’s already comfortable and effective in the one he’s been in the past few years?

And with the large amount of young, exceptionally good starting pitching talent the Orioles have had arrive to the majors over the last year and a half, including two other talented, yet lesser prospects in starters-turned-relievers David Hernandez and Jason Berken, plus President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail’s desire to acquire a veteran starter to hep Jeremy Guthrie lead the young staff next year, they hardly need another young starter possibility to worry about, especially with the questions in their bullpen.

Leave Jim Johnson as the Orioles go-to set-up guy, unless he proves he can’t handle it anymore.

It’ll make life easier for him, the other young starters going into Spring Training looking for a starting role, the O’s bullpen that needs plenty of work, and Buck Showalter.

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Grow the arms, buy the bats.

That’s what Andy MacPhail has preached since taking over as the Baltimore Orioles‘ President of Baseball Operations midway through the 2007 season.

The Orioles have traded away many veterans over the past few years to acquire plenty of young pitching, and drafted young arms as well.

Now it’s time to live up to your trademark quote, Andy. Now it’s time to buy the bats.

The Orioles are in dire need of thump in the middle of their lineup, having only had two players—Luke Scott and Ty Wigginton—reach the 20-homer mark during the 2010 season. Wigginton is due to become a free agent at the end of the postseason.

So, where should Andy turn to get the power the Orioles so sorely need? Paul Konerko.

I see Konerko as the most perfect fit of any of the available options for the Orioles to get a power bat this offseason.

Coming off one of the best years of his career, Konerko won’t be expected to reproduce the same numbers he put up this past season (.312 BA, 39 HR, 111 RBI), seeing as how he will turn 35 almost a full month before the 2011 season begins.

But there are still many reasons why he is a perfect fit in an Orioles uniform, starting with the fact that he is a right-handed slugging first baseman.

At this point, nothing would be more useful to the Orioles’ offense than to have a big righty to stick between the left-handed bats of Nick Markakis and Scott. With Scott being the Orioles biggest long ball threat in 2010, and Markakis in need of an established, feared hitter behind him, it only makes sense to do everything the Orioles’ management can do to make their offensive upgrade a right-handed one, not to mention how hitter-friendly left field in Camden Yards is to right-handed sluggers.

And not only would they be checking the power bat off of their to-do list, they’d also be getting the full-time first baseman they need, and a decent one at that.

In addition to providing on the field, Konerko would presumably do wonders in the Orioles’ clubhouse.

Konerko has always been viewed as a great clubhouse guy and a leader, and now that the young Orioles have become a family over the last year, Konerko would only strengthen that mold while bringing the exact attitude manager Buck Showalter presents of himself and expects of his players: a gamer.

Konerko is a selfless player who puts the needs of the team before the needs of himself, and isn’t happy with the way the day turned out unless his teams wins.

Given all that I’ve said, understand this: I’m not arguing that Konerko is the long-term answer at first base for the Baltimore Orioles. That would be absurd.

What I am arguing, though, is that of all the available options for them, he fits the mold perfectly at this time. Adam Dunn and Carlos Pena are both left-handed hitters who don’t hit for as high an average as Konerko, and Derrek Lee is coming off a down year, not to mention he’s older than Konerko.

Moreover, since Konerko is going to be a free agent this offseason, we wouldn’t be giving up prospects to get his team to trade him to us. He fits in with MacPhail’s philosophy of buying the big bats.

For those O’s fans out there who are hoping for a trade for Adrian Gonzalez, or a trade for someone of the same caliber, realize that it isn’t going to happen, and it wouldn’t be smart due to the amount the Orioles would need to give up to acquire a player of that magnitude.

Konerko was interested in coming to Baltimore prior to the 2005 season, when he decided to return to the Chicago White Sox for a larger contract. This time around, the Orioles can’t let that happen.

Sign him for two or three years, outbidding all of his other suitors, with the idea being that he holds down the fort and serves the purpose of the Orioles’ first baseman/clean-up hitter until the Orioles can either grow a younger full-time first baseman or go younger with a great option in the free agent/trade market in two to three years.

This signing wouldn’t be anything like MacPhail’s gambles in the past, those being the likes of Garrett Atkins and Rich Hill. No, Konerko is a very proven player and even though he will be 35 before next season, he is sure to produce for at least a few more seasons.

This is a signing that the Orioles need to make, to prove that the ownership has the young players’ and Showalter’s backs, as well as showing the rest of the AL East that they are for real.

Konerko would bring a winning attitude to a young Orioles team that has no idea what that mentality is about, and help balance a lineup in serious need of a big power bat, which is an addition from which every Orioles hitter is sure to benefit.

In addition, Konerko would give the young pitching staff the confidence that the team can supply them with the necessary run support to win a game in which they pitched well in, or let them know that they can make a mistake once in a while because the offense will be there to back them up.

Don’t let this one get away, Andy.

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Free Agency: Friend of many, for of the Tampa Bay Rays, a team who will be losing three of their biggest names this offseason.

Left fielder Carl Crawford, first baseman Carlos Pena, and closer Rafael Soriano are due to become free agents once the post season ends, and they probably won’t be coming back. The reason: Too expensive.

The Rays are a franchise that doesn’t have much money at all. They can’t afford to retain top talent. Instead, they have to rely of trading pieces to keep their farm system freshly stocked. The young guns fuel the Rays until they have made a name for themselves, then leave to find a bigger contract. The past three years, that’s been fine. They had picked in the top three in the draft for ten years, as well as getting other high picks, and that talent came together to help them make it to their first playoff and World Series appearance in 2008, a winning record in 2009, and their second playoff this past season. But I see them having trouble next year.

If they can’t afford to retain the face of their franchise, Crawford, then they can’t be expected to bid on or trade for players who require a large paycheck. They’re going to need more young players to step up and play to their potential to carry the load of the team. And they’re going to need their young rotation to take another step and be one of the best in baseball.

Someone from their strong bullpen is going to need to stand up and be the guy who can slam the door in the ninth. B.J. Upton needs to play to the potential he showed he had in 2007. Jason Bartlett is going to need to rebound, as do James Shields and Ben Zobrist. The only real threat they have in their lineup in terms of homers and RBI’s is Evan Longoria, and a championship team can’t have one guy carrying the middle of the order duties.

It’s an idea that doesn’t need much explaining, and an idea that Rays fans might not like, all 12,000 who go to their playoff-clinching games. A lot of things are going to have to go right for the Rays to be a contender next year. I honestly can’t make a prediction on how they’re going to be next year. Who know, maybe they’ll be better than they were this year.

One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be harder next year.

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Baltimore Orioles‘ right fielder Nick Markakis was expected to have a big year in 2010, coming off what many characterized as an “off” year in 2009, a year in which he hit .293 with 18 homers and 101 RBI’s on an Orioles team who lost 98 games.

That big year that many baseball analysts called for, however, did not happen. His average was there, as he batted .297 through 160 and 629 at-bats, but he set career lows in homers (18), and RBI’s (60).

These numbers have caused many Orioles fans who once praised the face of their franchise to call for Markakis’ head. What those people haven’t taken the time to understand, though, is why his numbers turned out to be disappointing for a middle-of-the-order guy, as well as not taking into account what he did achieve during a tough year for everyone involved in Baltimore baseball.

Looking at his low RBI numbers, most people who criticize fail to remember that leadoff man Brian Roberts appeared in only 59 games due to numerous injuries. That being said, the Orioles could not find a suitable substitute for Roberts, leading to a lack of RBI opportunities when Markakis stepped to the plate, as it’d be rare to see him bat anywhere other than second or third in the Orioles’ lineup. So when he racked up one of his 187 hits throughout the season, more times than not, there would either be no one on base, or no one in scoring position to drive in. He’d be stuck with simply moving the runner over instead of driving in the run.

Markakis has said in interviews that he was pitched away most of the time this year, and everyone knows his wheel-house is on the inside. Why try to get a good hitter out when there are hitters that aren’t as capable as him hitting behind him (not to take anything away from Luke Scott, Ty Wigginton, or Adam Jones)? He was then forced to hit what he was given, slapping singles to left or doubles in the left-center field gap. He got nothing to turn on, so he could only put 12 balls out over this past season. Adding a big bat to the Orioles’ lineup to hit behind him would most likely solve that problem, as pitchers would be more willing to pitch in the zone and attempt to get Markakis to fly out then rely on getting the big bat behind him out. Markakis would get more to drive, and his home run numbers would go back up to the 20-30 range.

The absence of Roberts at the top of the order, along with the struggles of everyone during the first two months of the season, caused Markakis to press a little, he acknowledged in an interview with the Baltimore Sun. Not only did he have to hit what he was pitched, but he had to try and get on base any way he possibly could since no one else was. That caused for him to have to settle a lot with what he was thrown and not be able to wait on his pitch.

This past year, Nick Markakis became only the third player in history to have four consecutive 43+ doubles seasons. The other two—Joe Medwick and Tris Speaker—are Hall of Famers. He increased his walk total to 73, hit .361 against left-handed pitching, raised his OBS from .347 in ’09 to .370 this past year, and committed only three errors all year in 159 games in right field. Hopefully, if the voters finally get it right, he will receive that much-deserved Gold Glove award that has seemed to evade him during his entire five-year career.

Not only is Nick Markakis the best hitter on the Orioles, he is also an outstanding fielder and an unselfish team player. He could have a 4-4 game with two homers, but if the team lost, he wouldn’t be happy with the day. The fans of Baltimore have taken him for granted, and unfairly jumped on him as soon as he shows he can have a down year, just like any other player. I suggest waiting to see if he has two or more consecutive years of low power production, even if he is more of a doubles hitter than anything, before you get on him about his performance. But provided he is given the proper threat in the middle of the order, I expect his, as well as many other young Orioles hitters, numbers to go up. And you can quote me on that.

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