This post is a little bit late, but the Orioles were busy during the hours leading up to the trade deadline. They ended up swinging deals for Gerardo Parra of the Brewers and Junior Lake of the Cubs. I wrote about the latter for ESPN Sweetspot Orioles blog Camden Depot.
Direct Link to Article –> Orioles Deal Tommy Hunter fr Outfield Depth
I’ve been on hiatus for some time now, but I’m back in the blogging game just in time for the 2015 trade deadline. The Orioles corner outfielders have been terrible this year, so it’s no surprise that they would be looking for an upgrade in left or right field before the trade deadline. Today at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I explain why I think the Phillies’ Ben Revere would be a good (if unexciting) target for Baltimore.
Direct Link to Article –> Ben Revere Could Help the Orioles
Yesterday, the Orioles made a very unsurprising trade with the Dodgers, sending the recently designated for assignment Ryan Webb and minor league catcher Brian Ward to Los Angeles for minor league catcher Chris O’Brien and right-handed pitcher Ben Rowen. The Orioles roster crunch in the bullpen meant someone had to go (we can probably expect another one to go soon too), and Webb (who for whatever reason fell out of favor with the Baltimore front office) was the odd man out. What made this trade so confusing though was the inclusion of the Orioles 2015 Competitive Draft Pick (number 74 overall). Today at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I take a deeper dive into this trade, trying to figure out just what the Orioles were thinking.
Direct Link to Article –> Orioles Pull Off a Confusing Trade With the Dodgers
On Tuesday the Baltimore Orioles finally decided to do something this offseason by acquiring Pirates outfielder Travis Snider for minor league left handed pitcher (and Baseball Prospectus #9 Orioles prospect) Stephen Tarpley, along with a “player to be named later”, which is rumored to possibly be minor league left handed pitcher Steven Brault. Today at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I take a quick look at what the Orioles have in Snider and what they gave up to get him.
Direct Link to Article –> Orioles Acquire Travis Snider, Gain Much Needed Depth
Over the last couple of weeks, the San Diego Padres have signed and/or traded for every single outfielder in major league baseball. Ok, that’s not entirely true, but it’s definitely felt that way. As a result, the Padres have a genuine surplus of major league quality outfielders on their roster and only three spots on the field to play them, although the boys at Cespedes Family BBQ had a good suggestion.
Padres gonna have to go with the 4 man softball outfield
— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) December 19, 2014
Since the Orioles are looking for potential upgrades in the outfield, it’s natural to wonder if San Diego can send one of those players east to Baltimore. Today at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I take a look at whether any of them may be wearing orange and black in 2015.
Direct Link to Article –> Should Orioles Take Advantage of San Diego’s Outfield Surplus?
Since the Orioles officially declined the team option on Nick Markakis, they’ll have some decisions to make. Since it looks like he may require a four-year contract, it may be best for the Orioles to move on. If they decide to take that route, they could go into the 2015 season with an Adam Jones, Steve Pearce, Alejandro De Aza, and David Lough outfield, or they could replace Markakis through a trade (as I mentioned in a previous post, upgrades on the outfield free agent market are virtually non-existent). Today at ESPN Sweetspot Network affiliated Orioles blog Camden Depot, I explain why the Orioles should look into acquiring Michael Saunders from the Seattle Mariners.
Direct Link to Article –> Orioles Trade Target: Michael Saunders
On Tuesday night, the Orioles secured the top spot in the American League East for the first time since 1997, ensuring their place in the 2014 playoffs. They did so by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 in front of a raucous (if not quite sell-out) crowd in Baltimore. Ubaldo Jimenez (he of the 4.90 ERA and 14.0% BB rate) picked up the win, throwing 5 innings, giving up only 2 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 6 batters. Of course he also walked 4 batters, which Orioles fans have come to expect when Jimenez takes the mound. The night itself seemed to sum up the 2014 Orioles well, as not only did they get an unexpectedly good (ok, not good, but decent) performance from Jimenez, but all 8 runs were driven in by players who weren’t expected to make a significant impact this year, and some who have only been on the team for a couple of weeks. Jimmy Paredes and Nick Hundley each drove in a run, while Alejandro De Aza and un-sung hero Steve Pearce drove in 3 a piece. Here’s a fun fact, De Aza has produced more fWAR with the Orioles in 12 games (0.7) than he did in 122 games with the White Sox (0.6). The late August trades Orioles GM Dan Duquette made for De Aza and Kelly Johnson may have flown under the radar at the time, but could prove to be very valuable to the team, especially in light of the Chris Davis suspension.
So what happens now? Continue reading
The Orioles continue to command the AL East, with several media outlets giving them over a 99% chance to not only make the playoffs, but to win the division. With the playoffs in mind, Baltimore made a couple of transactions (through trades and expanded rosters) to not only help finish the season strong, but to also improve the team for the postseason. Today at ESPN Sweetspot Orioles blog Camden Depot, I take a quick look at these roster moves and how they’ll help the team moving forward.
Direct Link to Article –> Quick Thoughts on Recent Roster Changes
Ryan Webb has been one of the best relievers in the Baltimore bullpen this year. So when the Orioles traded for Andrew Miller at the deadline two weeks ago, they naturally made room for Miller on the roster by designating Webb off of the 25-man roster (technically a different action than optioning him to the minor leagues, but essentially the same thing). It was a curious move at the time that has only become more curious by the fact that he’s been down in AAA for the entire time. Today at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I try to figure out why.
Direct Link to Article –> Why is Ryan Webb Pitching in Norfolk?
One of the busiest trade deadlines that I can remember is now over and the Orioles came out of it with one move. Similar to (one of) their deals at the 2013 trade deadline, Baltimore traded one of it’s more highly regarded prospects for 2 months of a reliever, sending LHP Eduardo Rodriguez to the Boston Red Sox for left handed reliever Andrew Miller. It’s not a strategy I typically like, although Miller has been one of the most valuable relievers in all of baseball this year. Today over at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I give my taken the Rodriguez /Miller swap.
Direct Link to Article –> Orioles Give Up Too Much for Andrew Miller
Orioles Proving Ground 