The Baltimore Orioles have been busy this offseason. Since the winter began, the O’s have been making under-the-radar moves, quietly upgrading several areas of the club.
They finished revamping their infield with the signing of first baseman Derek Lee on New Year’s Eve, and on Tuesday, solidified their bullpen even further after agreeing to terms with free agent right-hander Kevin Gregg.
Even still, many people think that the Orioles lack the star power to move out of the tough AL East’s cellar, but the O’s are operating differently. They’ve assembled an interesting cast of characters and could surprise a few people in 2011.
The Orioles began a small rebuilding process in 2010, when they fired manager Dave Trembly in June and interim-manager Juan Samuel (now with the Philadelphia Phillies coaching staff) took over.
The team didn’t respond to Samuel either, and the O’s front office made the decision to replace their manager mid-season, as opposed to waiting until the offseason like most of baseball’s other teams.
On July 30, 2010, the Orioles announced that Samuel would become a scout for the team in the Dominican Republic and the team had hired Buck Showalter. The Orioles’ wanted a man with experience, and that’s what they got.
Showalter had managed the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers prior to managing the Orioles, and Baltimore had to swoon him away from a cozy analyst’s position with ESPN.
Showalter had garnered a reputation over the course of his managerial career as being a tough, hard-nosed guy with an affinity to draw the potential out of his players, especially younger guys.
The young Orioles seemed to respond in the same way. In the 57 games that Showalter managed the O’s in 2010, the team posted a record of 34-23, the best record of any American League East team during that stretch.
Ready for his first full season as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles, Showalter spent little time adding the right pieces to this team—more importantly, pieces that fit. Instead of making ludicrous offers to big-name free agents and hoping that something sticks, Showalter and the rest of the team’s front office targeted specific areas of need and filled them with an eerie ease.
The O’s made their first splash of the offseason by acquiring the third base power bat that they’ve been looking for. On Dec. 16, they struck a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, acquiring slugger Mark Reynolds for talented right-handed pitcher David Hernandez and relief pitcher Kam Mickolio.
Though he isn’t the ideal hitter, Reynolds will certainly give a much-needed boost to the Orioles’ lineup. The third baseman had fallen out of favor with the Diamondbacks after posting a slash line of .198 / .320 / .433, but he still managed to hit 32 home runs in Arizona.
The biggest flaw in his game is, and always has been, his incredible strikeout rate. Reynolds has been punched out over 200 times in each of the last three seasons, and the Orioles hope that a change of scenery and a move out of the NL West, which features some of the greatest pitching in baseball, will give Reynolds a boost in his numbers.
The trade was rather easy to make for the Orioles—a couple of pitching prospects for a third baseman that once hit .260 / .349 / .543, with 44 home runs is a rather low risk decision.
Three days later, the Orioles replaced interim shortstop, the offensively challenged Cesar Izturis, with newly expendable Minnesota Twins shortstop JJ Hardy. When the Twins made their signing of Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka clear, Hardy became trade bait, and Orioles and Twins were able to agree to a deal that sent Hardy and utility infielder Brendan Harris to Baltimore for relievers Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson.
When the Twins acquired Hardy from the Milwaukee Brewers after the 2009 season, they expected a bit more of a rebound in Hardy’s numbers than they saw. Even still, Hardy posted a solid slash line of .268 / .320 / .394, with six home runs. More importantly, he lowered his strikeout rate and saw rises in his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage from the year prior. He also continued to be a very good defender in the field. He made just 11 errors and posted a UZR of 8.1—the second highest of his career.
Over the next month or so, the Orioles would go to work both replacing the traded bullpen arms and upgrading that same bullpen. They re-signed one of the free agent market’s top relievers in right-hander Koji Uehara and signed a couple of former Toronto Blue Jays—Jeremy Accardo, who spent most of the 2010 season with Toronto’s AAA affiliate, and Kevin Gregg, who spent the 2010 season as the Jays’ closer.
In his second season in the United States, and first full season as a major league reliever, Uehara quietly had a terrific season out of the Orioles bullpen. In 43 games, he posted a record of 1-2 with an ERA of 2.86, and a FIP of 2.40 that suggests he was even better than that.
He struck out more than 11 batters per nine innings, while walking just over one. He had a very strong WHIP of 0.95, and gave up just over a home run per nine innings. With the addition of Gregg, Uehara will become one of the best—if not the best—set-up men in the American League East.
Accardo, 29, is probably the least important of the Orioles’ signings, but still noteworthy. Though he hasn’t had a truly good statistical season, through and through since 2007, he has posted consistently good numbers in Toronto’s AAA affiliate.
In 41 games there last season, he posted a record of 2-2, with an ERA of 3.64 (3.44 FIP), converting 24 saves for the Las Vegas 51’s. Though declining, he still has good life on his fastball, and despite the fact that he couldn’t last in a very talented Blue Jays’ bullpen, there is still a need for a guy like Accardo in Showalter’s bullpen. He should bolster the Orioles’ bullpen in the middle innings.
The final bullpen addition, to date, is the new closer for the Baltimore Orioles, right hander Kevin Gregg, who has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the O’s, with a vesting option for a third year.
Gregg was one of the more appealing closers on the market, mainly because of the fact that he wouldn’t cost the team that signed him a draft pick as a Type B free agent, though Toronto still receives a draft pick for his departure.
Though he wasn’t the most dominant of closers in 2010, Gregg was very consistent. He converted 37 saves for the Blue Jays, and posted an ERA of 3.51 (3.57 FIP).
Though it may not have been their first intention, the O’s are also signing a man who has pitched in the American League before, and has been one of the most versatile relievers in baseball, excelling in roles as a middle reliever, set-up man and closer in the past. He brings certainty to a bullpen in Baltimore that has not been certain for quite some time.
The final addition, once again, to date, was the signing of free agent first baseman Derrek Lee. The long time Florida Marlin and Chicago Cub was traded to the Atlanta Braves mid-season in 2010 after a slow start with the Cubs.
After arriving in Atlanta, Lee posted a respectable slash line of .287 / .384 / .465, with three home runs, helping the Braves to secure the National League Wild Card.
Though he was operating with an injured thumb in 2010, he had a down season overall. In a healthy season, the Orioles are signing a first baseman who can hit for both average and power, reach base with great frequency and provide plus defense in the field. Having the option to use him as the designated hitter on some days does not hurt either, and the young Orioles can surely benefit from his veteran leadership.
So why are the Orioles any better this year than last year?
Their projected lineup already boasts notable upgrades at third base, shortstop, first base, and subsequently, in one of the corner outfield positions and at designated hitter.
The Orioles will also receive full seasons out of young players ready to break on to the scene in force in outfielder Adam Jones, catcher Matt Wieters and outfielder Felix Pie, including a bevy of young pitchers with newly acquired major league experience under their belt, including 2010 surprise Brian Matusz.
When the offseason began, Baltimore had several holes to fill. On the offensive side of the ball, they needed to add players who can hit for power and average, get on base and drive runners in, and they achieved all of those goals in some way, shape or form.
On the pitching side of the ball, they bolstered a weak bullpen with the addition of strong eighth- and ninth-inning guys, and a reliever who could provide solid innings for the O’s.
Take a look at the Orioles’ projected lineup for a moment: 2B Brian Roberts, SS JJ Hardy, 1B Derrek Lee, 3B Mark Reynolds, RF Nick Markakis, DH Luke Scott, CF Adam Jones, C Matt Wieters, LF Felix Pie.
Baltimore fans may not have been able to get excited about a lineup in years past, but the Orioles will feature a very balanced, motivated lineup in 2010 under Buck Showalter.
Even their rotation, which features a bounce-back candidate in Jeremy Guthrie, and surprising rookies from 2010 in Matusz, Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman, and most importantly, a revamped bullpen, has to be forcing the other four teams of the AL East to be looking over their shoulders, even if just for a moment, at the Orioles.
The Orioles may not be able to compete for a division title in 2011, but that isn’t saying that they haven’t made great strides to improve. Their lineup can compete with that of the Tampa Bay Rays, and if their pitching staff holds up its end of the bargain, the Orioles may leave those Rays, or possibly even those Toronto Blue Jays, looking up at the new Baltimore Orioles come 2011’s close.
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