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Although Baltimore Orioles star Adam Jones loves pieing his teammates, he didn’t mind saving one to share with a rescue dog.

In order to promote the team’s pet calendar and the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, according to The Washington Post‘s Scott Allen, Jones took a pie with him when he went to hang out with the rescue dog. No, he didn’t smash the dog in the face in the pie. He did, however, eat the pie with his animal friend.

The best part about the snack is that the Orioles outfielder didn’t even bother with a fork. Jones went right in with his face, just like the dog.

[Vine]

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Mike Trout will, in all likelihood, win the 2012 American League MVP Award.

With just 118 games under his belt in his rookie season, Trout leads the American League with a .328 batting average and 45 stolen bases. He owns a .393 OBP which is third overall in the AL, second in OPS with .963 and his .570 slugging percentage is third behind Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera.

Needless to say, the kid is in good company.

Beyond that, he has 27 home runs, 23 doubles and six triples in his 158 hits.

According to Fangraphs, he has a 8.6 WAR rating, while Baseball Reference puts him at a 10.2 WAR.

The evidence is there. Trout is very deserving of the MVP award. However, there are other players that have been playing incredible baseball this season in the AL that should not be overlooked.

Here is a tip of the cap to those players.

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The upstart Baltimore Orioles have an incredibly bright future and now they’ll have their biggest star in town for the long haul.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, outfielder Adam Jones and the O’s have agreed to a lucrative six-year, $85 million extension that will keep him in Baltimore through the 2018 season. Jones won’t be on the free-agent market again until he’s 33.

Source: #Orioles’ six-year deal with Adam Jones is complete. Press conference tomorrow.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 26, 2012

It’s easy to see why the first-place Orioles decided to lock up Jones long term.

The 26-year-old had one year left of arbitration and was set for free agency after the 2013 season. Brittany Ghiroli, MLB.com beat writer for the Orioles, believes Jones would have signed with a different team if he didn’t get the long-term extension:

My take has always been if O’s waited til the winter, they would’ve lost Jones to FA after 13. Will be interested to see what $/yrs does it.

— Brittany Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) May 25, 2012

Jones has hit .311/.357/.601 while crushing 14 home runs, 29 RBI and scoring 32 runs through 46 games played. If Josh Hamilton didn’t exist, Jones would likely be the favorite for the American League MVP award right now. He has shown stark improvement in each of the last three years while also playing a brilliant center field.

The time is right to reward Jones for his efforts and give him the peace of mind and stability in his major-league career. The move officially tells the rest of the Baltimore players and fans that their management is finally serious about contending, and that Jones is the leader and face of the franchise.

The O’s aren’t known for their big contracts, and Jones’ deal destroys the six-year, $72 million deal they gave to Miguel Tejada back in 2003, the previous biggest contract Baltimore had ever doled out.

This is a great day for the franchise. After a lost decade, the team is trending upward and the organization is willing to commit to long-term success. 

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It has been rumored in recent weeks that left-hander John Lannan may be on his way out of Washington.

Ever since the Edwin Jackson signing on February 2nd, the Nationals have had one too many starting pitchers. Generally, this is not a bad thing. The Nationals can address other needs with their excess pitching though, with Lannan generating the biggest return.

If Lannan is traded, Chien-Ming Wang or Ross Detwiler would take over the No. 5 spot in the rotation, with the other becoming the long man out of the bullpen.

The Nationals are in need of bench depth, as well as a capable center fielder. They could also choose to just trade him away for a few mid-level prospects.

Lannan has been an effective starter over the course of his career, garnering a 4.00 ERA and a 38-51 record. He has been better in recent years, becoming a guy capable of pitching 180+ innings.

As a No. 5 starter, that’s pretty valuable.

The Nationals seem to have a win-win scenario with Lannan. If they trade him, they can potentially fill a need. If they keep him, they have another guy who can give them close to 200 innings.

Whether he’s traded or not remains to be seen, but here are five potential destinations.

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Heading into the 2012 season there are very few reasons to be excited if you’re an Orioles fan. But to be clear, there are still things to be excited about. 

Lineup

The power supply is certainly in this line-up, even if it’s a tad inconsistent (especially to compete in the AL East). But with Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, and Adam Jones  there is certainly some consistency in the top of this order. 

The problem lies in Mark Reynolds (.221), Chris Davis, (.255), and Matt Weiters (.261) driving in those ducks on the pond. 

Even with Reynolds’ 37 home runs, he was one of the least efficient sluggers in baseball (just 86 RBIs), and he continued his streak of leading the league in strikeouts with 196 (only 75 BB). This lineup will have trouble finding consistency if someone can’t become the RBI machine in the 4 spot that they need (Baltimore turns its lonely eyes to you Mr. Wieters). 

Now onto the bad news. (Wow… That was the good news?) 

Rotation

This rotation may be one of the worst in the majors on paper. With Brian Matusz coming off of a dismal year (1-9 with an ERA of 10.69), there does not seem to be anyone ready to pick up the slack. 

Tsuyoshi Wada brings some fresh blood, but the 5’11″ 170lb lefty is 31, and with a career in the Nippon league that was at best, pretty good. I wouldn’t expect him to have a ceiling higher than 10 wins and a 4.75 ERA.

The rest of the rotation consists of youthful arms with upside with no real track record. The most intriguing is former Ranger, Tommy Hunter, who is one year removed from posting 13 wins and a 3.73 ERA. Hunter has the build of an innings eater at 6’3″ 280lbs. With some polishing, he could be the cement this rotation needs.

Bullpen

There isn’t a lot to look at in this department, but the few proven arms hanging around the bullpen this season all seem to have something to prove. 

Kevin Gregg is back as the de facto closer. With some success in this role, it’s his job to lose.

As far as who’ll be gunning for Gregg’s job it’ll be between perennial set-up men; lefty Darren O’Day and righty Matt Lindstrom. With Darren O’Day healthy (6-2, 0.88 WHIP in ’10) and Matt Lindstrom a career WHIP machine (1.44) O’Day will be first in line to snatch any save opportunities not slotted for Gregg 

Prediction

The Buck Truck had some bright spots last year, even if it was as a spoiler rather than a contender. Buck Showalter will have himself a slightly more confident group to mold in 2012. 

However, they are in a division with Boston, New York, and Tampa Bay, even Toronto has made strides of late (something Baltimore has only done in the uniform department. They are sweet unis though).

Finish: 71 – 91 (Last Place) 

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When the top RBI guys are off the board, there are still value picks that can help you in that category.

Average Draft Positions are from Mock Draft Central.

Catcher

Kurt Suzuki, Oakland A’s: Suzuki had 71 RBI last year and 88 in 2009. Both years he had the fourth RBI among catchers.

With an ADP of 171, there are ten catchers that are (on average) going before him in fantasy drafts.

Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals: Molina had the eighth most RBI (62) last year. He was 11th in 2009 (54) and 12th in 2008 (56).

He’s not going to win the RBI category for you, but he should be a nice value with his 189 ADP.

First Base

Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals: LaRoche had the 10th most RBI (100) among first basemen last year. He has averaged 89.2 RBI over the past five years.

Despite his consistent solid performances, he has an ADP of 178, which is 15th among first basement.

Carlos Pena, Chicago Cubs: Pena had 84 RBI last year and has averaged 101.8 the past four years.

He has an ADP of 181, which makes him a pretty strong value.

Gaby Sanchez, Florida Marlins: Sanchez is a boring pick, but he did manage 85 RBI last year. He has an ADP of 187, so he’s worth a look.

Ike Davis, New York Mets: Davis had 71 RBI in 147 games last year and should only get stronger.

He’ll turn 24 later this month and he has a ton of upside. Davis has an ADP of 201.

Derrek Lee, Baltimore Orioles: Lee had just 80 RBI last year, but has averaged 90.8 the past four years.

His ADP of 228 is a great value.

Second Base

Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays: Hill had 68 RBI last year, despite a .196 BABIP. With 108 RBI in 2009, he is definitely worth a look, especially with an ADP of 160.

Juan Uribe, Los Angeles Dodgers: Uribe had 85 RBI last year, which ranked third among second basemen.

He likely loses some value with his move to the Dodgers, but makes up for it with multiple position eligibility. He’s worth a look with his 240 ADP.

Third Base

Ty Wiggington, Colorado Rockies: He’ll play a little bit of this and a little bit of that. He had 76 RBI last year, and his move to Colorado should be a favorable one.

Wiggington’s ADP is 215. Jose Lopez (ADP 199) should also get some work. Both should have value right away, as Ian Stewart will likely start the year on the shelf.

Kevin Kouzmanoff, Oakland A’s: Kouzmanoff had 71 RBI last year and has averaged 79.3 the past four years.

He has an ADP of 363, which means he’ll likely go undrafted in your league.

Shortstop

Alex Gonzalez, Atlanta Braves: Gonzalez won’t match the 88 RBI he had last year, but he should be a nice source for his position. His ADP is 147.

Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers: Peralta isn’t a sexy pick, but he’s averaged 84.3 RBI the past three years and 78.5 the past six.

Not a bad option at shortstop, especially considering he also has third base eligibility and an ADP of 251.

Outfield

Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles: Jones had 69 RBI last year and 70 the year before, but the Orioles have made improvements to their lineup.

He’ll turn 26 in August, so this could be the year he fulfills his promise. His ADP of 180 puts him at a nice value.

Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox: Quentin had 87 RBI last year. He always seems to be an injury risk, but his ADP of 193 makes him a good gamble later in your draft.

Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins: Cuddy could be easy to overlook as the Twins seem to move him all around the field. Still, he remains productive.

He’s averaged  87.5 RBI the past two years and has first base eligibility. Cuddy has an ADP of 224.

Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies: I have no idea how he has anything left in the tank, but Ibanez had 83 RBI last year and has averaged 100.5 RBI over the past six years.

He’s worth a look with an ADP of 198.

Travis Snider, Toronto Blue Jays: You’d be drafting on potential if you chose Snider, but with an ADP of 247, there isn’t much risk involved.

Designated Hitter

Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays: He could possibly have first base or outfield eligibility, but with 186 RBI over the past two years, he’s a solid utility option. His ADP is 166.

David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox: He is slow out of the gate, but Big Papi has averaged 96.7 RBI the past three years.

Not bad for someone with an ADP of 173.

Hideki Matsui, Oakland A’s: Matsui left the Bronx, but still managed 84 RBI with the Angels.

I doubt he’ll be as productive, but he’s worth a look with an ADP of 261.

Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Value Picks
• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Profiles
• 2011 Fantasy First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Closer Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Closer Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Closer Rankings

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a one year, $8 million deal with Vladimir Guerrero. Add him to fellow 2011 offseason acquisitions Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds, Justin Duchscherer and JJ Hardy and suddenly, this team looks like it can compete right now.

They will need Brian Matusz to mature a great deal, and it still doesn’t look like they will be close to the Yankees and Red Sox, but to put it in perspective, they could finish with a better record than anyone in the AL West.

Matt Wieters and Adam Jones are a year older and closer to fulfilling their massive potential. Let’s run down their impressive lineup.

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Okay, before anyone totally freaks out, this is not a “Brewers are looking to trade Prince Fielder” story. This is strictly a what-if scenario, plain and simple.

As we know, there are some teams out there that have had a disappointing offseason thus far. Their fans are clamoring for their team to do something. As a result, a team might be looking to make a splash the size of Prince Fielder doing a cannonball into the proverbial MLB pool. 

It has been made clear that the Brewers are in “go for it” mode this season. What if one of those aforementioned teams gets desperate and makes an EXTREMELY aggressive and attractive offer to the Brewers for Fielder?

I want to take a look at 10 potential deals that may just get the Brewers to think long and hard about dealing their slugger while still allowing them to go for it this year. Other players could be included from the Brewers besides Fielder in any of these trade scenarios.

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It’s been nearly 12 hours since the Giants brought the first World Series trophy to San Francisco, but the question that’s on everyone’s mind is who’s next? 

Who will be next season’s Giants?

Who will be the team that defies the odds, utilizes one of the most talented, biggest upside starting rotations, makes the most of a rag-tag roster and seizes their opportunity to turn Major League Baseball on its head?

I’ve got one team in mind. The 2011 Baltimore Orioles.

Believe it or not, this team isn’t as bad as the 2010 66-96 record indicated. They have a new manager who has instilled a new set of beliefs, and for the first time in a very, VERY long time this team is one that believes it can win. And in a division like the A.L. East, that counts for a whole heck of a lot. Just ask the Rays.

And I know it seems like a super long-shot, but keep in mind a few of these things

-this Giants squad spent the first two-and-a-half months of the season alternating between third and fourth place.

-their offensive effort was led by a 33-year old journeyman, Aubrey Huff, who hit .290 with 26 homers and 86 RBI.

-their two-time Cy Young award-winning pitcher had arguably the worst season of his career

-the ranking veteran, Barry Zito, went 9-14 with a 4.15 ERA and worse than a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio

-offensively, the Giants were a middle of the pack team, ranking seventh in the N.L. in average, and ninth in runs scored.

-no team in the N.L. was worse on the basepaths as the Giants stole a league-low 55 bases, and had the worst steal success rate at 63 percent.

-their pitching staff ranked as the third-worst in terms of walks issued, trailing only the Cubs (75-87) and the Brewers (77-85).

So, taking all of that into account, and fully realizing how unpredictable this season has been, let’s examine why, I think, the Orioles have the capability and potential to emerge as the Giants of next season.

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As your fantasy baseball marathons come down to the wire look to these players to help your team or keep them from hindering your team.  Rookies’ Starlin Castro and Ike Davis should have stellar weeks for your team.

Start ‘Em

Starlin Castro | Chicago Cubs | 81 percent
This 20-year-old phenom has been a work in progress with his glove but clearly has been an offensive asset.  This week Castro faces the Cardinals and Marlins.  In 36 at-bats this year against, Castro has hit .361 and .359 since the All-Star break.  This should be a strong sign that his numbers will keep pace for these games.

Ike Davis | New York Mets | 35.4 percent
Ike faces two opponents this week that really haven’t given a problem all year and on top of that they are at home where he’s hitting a solid .294.  This is over a 50 point jump from his away splits.  Pittsburgh is up first where Ike is hitting .500 in 10 at-bats.  Ike’s next opponent has been more of a challenge.  This year against Atlanta Ike has only hit .233.  However, his OBP is .421 and his isolated power is fairly strong at .189.  Look for him to buck that average trend and hit for some power against the Braves.

Sit ‘Em

Adam Jones | Baltimore Orioles | 84.5 percent
Jones faces a tough road ahead this week with the Blue Jays and then the Yankees. Against the Blue Jays this year, Jones is hitting a weak .217 through 46 at-bats.  His next opponent, the Yankees, have held him to a .216 average through 51 at-bats.  Making matters worse for Jones, he will be facing three left-handed pitchers, against which he is only hitting .261, with a .293 OBP.

Mike Napoli | Los Angeles Angels | 87 percent
Napoli will be playing on the road for both series this week.  His first stop is in Cleveland, at Progressive Field.  His next stop is in St. Petersburg at Tropicana Field.  Collectively at both stadiums, Napoli has an unimpressive career average of only .170, through 48 at-bats.  Worse is the fact that all but one of the starting pitchers that Napoli will face is right-handed.  Against righties this year Napoli is hitting .212 with a .279 OBP.

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