It really seems like the Orioles are running in quicksand, doesn’t it?
On the day of the biggest trade to hit Baltimore since the Erik Bedard deal, the team is still overshadowed by Boston’s trade for Adrian Gonzalez and Toronto shipping Shaun Marcum off to Milwaukee.
Such is life in the American League East.
So, these are the facts: The Orioles completed a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks this morning. The deal will send third baseman Mark Reynolds to Baltimore and relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio to Arizona.
Despite Reynolds’ swing-for-the-fences-at-all-costs style of play, he still is a fantastic power threat. And he immediately becomes the best power hitter who the Orioles have on their roster, no competition.
And luckily for the Orioles, his contract is pretty friendly, too, which means for all you O’s fans who see Reynolds and have night terrors featuring Garrett Atkins, you can rest easy. Reynolds is here to stay, and should be a fixture at the hot corner for at least the next three years.
But as great as the trade sounds, how solid a move will this turn out to be for the Orioles? And what about replacing the talent that left town? And furthermore, what do the O’s now do with Josh Bell, the third baseman they traded for two years ago?
As many holes as the O’s just filled (power hitter, check; third baseman, check), they just opened up a huge barrel of questions.
First up…