Shortstop J.J. Hardy, acquired for Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson this offseason, is having a standout offensive season. He has 11 home runs, including a home run in nine straight series.
The problem is he’s on a one-year contract worth slightly less than $6 million. There is no obvious replacement from the minor leagues for next season. So what contract should the Orioles extend to Hardy?
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This is the rumor that wouldn’t die all winter long. It finally came true. According to multiple reports, the Orioles agreed to terms with designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero on a one-year $8 million contract.
The Guerrero agreement has a very good chance of being the last of the major roster moves by Baltimore this offseason. With the designated hitter on board, the Orioles can now pencil him in the cleanup spot every night and build the lineup around him.
Andy MacPhail went in to the offseason with a mission to upgrade the offense and pitching staff. He spent the first part of the winter upgrading the offense, then focused on pitching and now has upgraded the offense to bookend the winter months.
Now that Guerrero appears to be a member of the team (he needs to pass a physical and they need to make a roster move to get him on the 40-man roster) let’s compare this year’s projected lineup and last season’s opening day lineup:
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After a dreadful 2-16 start to the season, the Baltimore Orioles ended 66-96 giving them their 13th losing season in a row. However, the O’s took a roundabout way to get to the 66 win plateau. It took three managers and a hot August and September, but Baltimore pulled out 34 wins since Buck Showalter took over on Aug. 3.
Now, for grades.
Catcher: Matt Wieters/Craig Tatum/Jake Fox – C+
Wieters made strides defensively, but his offense wasn’t as good as what was expected going in to his season with the Major League club. Tatum played well in limited action. His defense was impressive and he didn’t look overmatched at the plate. Fox only played catcher a few times, but seemed to have a feel for calling a game. When he got a chance to hit, Fox liked to swing from his heels and was an all or nothing type hitter.
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Buck Showalter officially took over the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 3. The team had 32 wins at the time and appeared to be spinning its wheels towards another lost season.
This season is another lost season, but Showalter has the Orioles at 12-8, a .600 clip, since he began running the show.
The starting pitching has improved, with a few bad outings sprinkled in, the rotation has gone deeper in to games and given up fewer runs than at any point this season. Also, the bullpen has improved because the pitchers seem to know their roles better than at any time this year, except the closer’s role.
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With Dave Trembley’s status questioned seemingly almost every day, the Baltimore Orioles haven’t played well. Part of it could be the cloud hanging over Trembley’s head when his job status is mentioned every day, the other part could be some of the veteran hitters haven’t produced. Since the veterans aren’t producing, the younger hitters may be putting a lot of pressure on themselves to carry the team and that is a responsibility they aren’t ready to hold just yet.
In addition to a season-long offensive slump, the pitching has now started to slightly deteriorate. The bullpen is very clearly overworked which is partially due to, as of late, average starting pitching and Trembley trying to match up opposing hitters with a pitcher that throws from the same side. Match ups don’t work some of the time and see to recently backfire constantly on Baltimore. A light-hitting offense and average starting pitching is, as we’ve seen, a recipe for a disastrous deal.
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With a struggling offense and trouble finding a leadoff hitter, the Baltimore Orioles made the decision to send down second-year player Nolan Reimold, transfer second baseman Brian Roberts to the 60-day disabled and purchase the contract of Corey Patterson. Patterson was having a good season at Triple-A Norfolk and it was a matter of time before a change was made. Since he was called up on Wednesday, the Birds have scored 11 runs and gotten two wins. So it begs the question: is Patterson the answer for the O’s offensive woes?
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The Baltimore Orioles continue to shape their roster in preparations for Opening Day. That process moved ahead on Thursday, when the Orioles made a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Julio Lugo.
Lugo killed the O’s when he played for Tampa Bay, but has bounced around the last few years. He was traded to St. Louis after he didn’t meet expectations in Boston, but wasn’t going to be on the Cardinals after losing his position to Felipe Lopez.
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